Cluj-Napoca’s summer of Youth, Music and Count Dracula!
The European Youth Capital for 2015, Cluj-Napoca, this weekend hosted their major project of the year, the massively successful Untold Festival.
The music festival was held over four days from 30th of July – 2nd of August, with more than 170 national and international artists, 8 main stages and a packed programme of fun activities during the day. An estimated 53,000 people gathered to enjoy the music and the atmosphere on the first day alone.
The European Youth Capital also did not miss a chance to add a unique and innovative twist to the Untold Festival, by allowing people to pay the entrance to the festival through blood donations. The ‘Pay with Blood’ campaign combined Transylvania’s internationally famous links with the legend of Count Dracula with raising awareness of Romania’s blood shortages. Romania currently ranks as one of the worst European countries for blood donation, with only 1.7 percent of the Romanian population as blood donors, and organisers hope that Untold will help to encourage more to continue donating in the future.
The Untold Festival has been just one of over a thousand events and activities that have taken place in Cluj-Napoca and the surrounding region so far, aiming to reach as many young people as possible. These have ranged from major public events, such as Cluj Never Sleeps, involving 24 hours of fun and culture, to projects promoting community participation and international communication and partnerships.
The European Youth Capital title is awarded for one year, giving the winning city the opportunity to showcase its cultural, social and political youth-related development and encourages the implementation of new ideas and projects to foster youth participation. As Cluj-Napoca is still only half way through their year as the European Youth Capital, there is much more to come in the exciting agenda of activities and events!
See what’s coming up by following the Facebook page Youth@Cluj-Napoca 2015 or learn more about how Cluj-Napoca aims to support and engage with young people here.
Related articles & publications
Reaction to the amendment to the EU Climate Law from European youth networks
We, European youth organisations, welcome the European Commission's formal proposal to amend the EU Climate Law to include a 2040 target of 90% net greenhouse gas emissions reductions following months of delays and speculation. Read our reaction to find out more!
Open letter: Don't cut young people out
Young people deserve dedicated spaces for learning, mobility, and solidarity beyond classrooms. Diluting or merging Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps risks leaving many behind. On Friday 27/05/2025 we sent a letter to call for a strong youth chapter, an independent ESC, and five times more funding. Young people's future must keep moving forward, not backwards. Europe should not cut costs on young people.
EU Youth Conference: Where resilience means democracy
From 2-5 March 2025, the vibrant city of Lublin, Poland - holder of the European Youth Capital 2023 title - once again demonstrated their commitment to meaningful youth participation. More than 300 young people from across Europe gathered for the first EU Youth Conference of the 11th cycle of the EU Youth Dialogue. This conference marked the kick off for the new trio Presidency of Poland, Denmark and Cyprus. Together, they launched a new chapter of collaboration, dialogue and youth-driven policy at the European level.