To mark the anniversary of the historic Schuman Declaration of 1950, we’ll be celebrating Europe Day! On 5 May (Brussels), 5 and 9 May (Luxembourg) and 10 June (Strasbourg), the European institutions will open their doors to the public. Come along to see what happens behind the scenes.

To coincide with the European Year of Cultural Heritage, many countries will be holding themed Europe Day celebrations. Traditional music will fill the streets of Spanish towns and cities,  while Latvia will be celebrating the diversity of European heritage through films and music in a concert hall in Riga.

And this year, Europe Day is going global! Thanks to the support of European Commission Delegations abroad, many projects dedicated to cultural heritage will be implemented throughout May. To quote a few examples; in Argentina, Malaysia, Mexico and Canada, Europe Day will see photo exhibitions dedicated to the Year. The Dominican Republic has planned a whole Europe week, featuring national competitions, cultural activities and a European Gastronomic Festival. In the USA, Europe Day will be celebrated with a public event on digital preservation of cultural heritage, workshops and a virtual reality show.

Finally, if you can’t celebrate Europe Day in person, then why not celebrate it digitally? The #Ode2Joy challenge, launched by Europa Nostra, invites participants to re-interpret the European anthem; Beethoven's classical masterpiece, ‘Ode to Joy’. The contributions will be live streamed and posted on social media using the hashtag #Ode2Joy.