2018 International Festivals
There are now multiple opportunities to experience worldwide creativity, experience different cultures, and create new and lasting friendships through Odyssey of the Mind. This year there are three festivals around the globe celebrating Odyssey of the Mind and creative problem-solving!
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The International School of Abidjan on the Ivory Coast is hosting its first festival ever. Here teams will showcase their solutions from this year’s problems and take part in a Spontaneous problem. There will also be a Spirit of Africa problem where teams will solve a problem specific to the continent. For this Spirit of Africa problem, new teams will be formed from attending members. This festival is open for Division I and II teams from around the world.
The organizer of the festival believes that starting small will help to grow the program and make the festival an annual event. “It has been a dream of mine to bring the Odyssey of the Mind to Africa, where our students here can benefit from such a wonderful program that promotes higher level thinking,” said organizer Andrea Morris. For more information email Andrea: andrmorris40@gmail.com.
The longest-running festival is Eurofest, to be held April 27 – May 2 in Germany. Perfectly situated within a biosphere reserve on the banks of Lake Werbellin, Eurofest will be held at one of the largest youth camps: the EJB Werbellinsee. This exciting event will bring over 1,000 creative minds together from 16 different countries. This will be the 26th festival held.
It is an annual showcase of solutions by teams from across Europe and beyond. It is not a typical tournament, but a fun-filled festival where attendees show off their long-term solutions, practice spontaneous and make new friends from around the world. It’s a true celebration of camaraderie and creativity!
Countries participating include Germany, France, Switzerland, Poland, Russia, Moldova, Ukraine, Hungary, Czech Republic, Romania, Kazakhstan, China, India, Togo, USA, and Slovakia. This year’s motto is “My circus, my OMers.” To learn more and register visit: www.odysseyofthemind.eu and be sure to follow along on Facebook or Instagram.
The final celebration of creativity around the world in 2018 is the Asia Pacific Festival to be held in Shanghai, the largest city in China, from August 10-15. At this festival members from China and different countries will be mixed to form new teams to complete Odyssey challenges. There will be a problem released on site, with vouchers for teams to “buy” materials to use in solutions. All props will be made on site. There will be one mini long-term problem – the newly formed teams will have two and a half days to solve it. On the final day teams will show off their solutions. There will also be three spontaneous problems on competition day. Of course, there will be a carnival where teams can experience traditional Chinese experiences such as calligraphy, painting, Tai Chi, tea ceremonies, and more. Teams from around the world are invited to apply.
For more information email: omchina@163.com.
Click to see the Asia Pacific Festival’s Schedule of Events and read below for further details
