Sport, culture, entertainment: from 1 to 10 May in Nova Gorica and Gorizia the second of the four flagship events of the European Capital of Culture GO! 2025 will take place. The ten-day programme of events will have as its main venue Europe/Transalpina Square and other outdoor locations in the adjacent borderless area.

The programme will begin on 1 May at 8 a.m. at Europe/Transalpina Square with the traditional Friendship March, in a special borderless version and with the inclusion of additional sports and a full day of music nearby. On the same day, the Bevkov Trg (Bevk Square) will also host the opening of the intermediate installation Crossings produced by BridA. Further information on how to participate in the March of Friendship will be announced during the infoday to be held at Europe/Transalpina Square on 23 May.

A preview of the rich sports and cultural programme was announced this morning, Wednesday 9 April, at a press conference in the office of GO! 2025 in Nova Gorica, with speeches by Samo Turel, Mayor of the Municipality of Nova Gorica, Patrizia Artico, Councillor for GO! 2025 of the Municipality of Gorizia, Romina Kocina, Director of the EGTC GO, Mija Lorbek, Director of the GO! 2025 entity and Lucija Sila, Deputy Director for Cross-Border Cooperation of the GO! 2025 entity.

The opening event will be the Friendship March, symbolically linking the two cities and communities; various events will follow in the week to 10 May.

In the framework of the March of Friendship on 1 May, a number of projects financed by the European Union within the framework of the GO! 2025 Small Project Fund (SPF) of the Interreg VI-A Italy-Slovenia 2021-2027 Programme, managed by the EGTC GO, will also be presented. The invitation to participate has been sent out to all funded projects, and so far the following projects have confirmed their participation: GO(d)BA 2025 (cross-border music band), Ljubkina pot (women's literary trail), Singers' corners (cross-border choral singing festival), YouGoGo (cross-border online media), GO Pasta! (intercultural and economic bridges through stuffed pasta), GO2FLY (promotion of free flight between Slovenia and Italy) and GO! HOOP (cross-border basketball championships).  

‘The SPF projects are initiatives that add value to the Capital Programme by also covering alternative thematic segments. The topics covered are in fact not strictly cultural, but transversal; on this occasion we are talking above all about sport and food and wine. Those who have accepted the invitation to participate will be included in the day's programme at various times,’ said EGTC GO Director Romina Kocina.

International delegations will also be present, including representatives of the city of Klagenfurt, which this year celebrates 60 years of twinning with Nova Gorica and Gorizia, and Chemnitz, European Capital of Culture 2025.

The March for Europe programme brings together elements of the official European Capital of Culture programme and collaborations with various partners. The event is organised by the Javni zavod GO! 2025 with its partners the Municipality of Nova Gorica, the Municipality of Gorica, the GECT GO, the Nova Gorica Sports Authority (Zavod za šport Nova Gorica), the Nova Gorica Chamber of Crafts (Območna obrtno-podjetniška zbornica Nova Gorica) the Tourist Board of Nova Gorica and the Vipava Valley (Zavod za turizem Nova Gorica in Vipavska dolina), the Public Fund for Cultural Activities of Nova Gorica (JSKDNG) and others.