The festival presenting various currents and forms of art accomplished mainly in open spaces. The name of the festival - "Bonds of Culture" - in the first place expresses an attempt of seeking common elements connecting seemingly stylistically distant forms of artistic expression and various cultural spaces. Thus a term "street artist" is only a starting point, defining a certain kind of relation with spectators, a specific intensification resulting from their contact determined by the situation of presentation of art outside a theatrical building - in direct encounter with, often accidental, receiver. That implies variety of artistic forms presented at the festival, including big theatrical shows, small-size performances, contemporary avant-garde music and ethic/world music, jazz and classical music, groups following alternative ethos and artists referring (often in a perverse way) to traditional conventions. The basic criterion is artistic quality combined with passion and the power of expression, openness to meeting the audience, and the value of creative quest. The festival attempt is to show that street art does not necessarily mean commercial art; to prove that this kind of activity offers many possibilities and is can be important and inspiring experience both for the artists and the audience. The organizers intend to overcome stereotypes related to cultural differences and "exclusiveness" of the so-called higher culture.
Every year the festival program includes outdoor and street performances, concerts, happenings, theatrical actions, exhibitions, workshops and film projections. Some festival productions are parts of the long-term project of the Kana Theatrical Centre named "Quest for Identity of the Place", promoting historically-marked sites of Szczecin through artistic events.
Accomplishment of the International Street Artists Festival is based on long-term, multi-directional cooperation with artists and art centers form various countries and cultures. Every annual edition is participated by approximately 150 artists, there are approx. 30 events, attended by approx. 10,000 people. The festival includes also partnership meetings and international seminars. As for 2008 we have hosted artists from, among others, Germany, Czech republic, Hungary, Austria, Belgium, France, Great Britain, Italy, Greece, Portugal, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Russia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, India, USA, Brazil, Australia, Guinea, Sudan, Israel.
The Festival was established in 1999. In 2004 the organizers were prized with the "Reviewer's Eye" Award and in 2005 received the honorable title Advocate of Culture. The festival is one of the priority events promoting Szczecin within the attempts for the title of European Capital of Culture 2016.
