Art’s Birthday was “created” in 1963 by the French artist Robert Filliou (pictured here with his famous hat). He declared that on 17 January exactly a million years earlier, Art was “born” when someone dropped a dry sponge into a bucket of water.

To celebrate this unique birthday, EBU Radio organizations join forces each year for a special evening, where they exchange sound art in all its various and amazing facets. Broadcast on both Euroradio satellite channels from 19.00 to 23.00 UTC, the material can be relayed live, mixed or remixed with other live material. The offer is available in MUS under AA/2019/06/01/01-02, with more detailed information found here.

Contributions come from Member and external partner organizations throughout Europe, with the following participating broadcasters confirmed:

Austria: ORF
Belgium: Ward Weis
Croatia: HRTR
Czech Republic: CR
Germany: DKU, SWR, E-Werk Freiburg
Ireland: RTÉ
Poland: PR
Portugal: RTP
Romania: ROR
Serbia: RTS
Slovakia: RTS
Slovenia: RTVS
Spain: RTVE
Sweden: SR
Switzerland: RTS, Radio Rabe (Bern)

This year’s 1,000,057th birthday gifts for Art range from a sound bridge to allow live remote jamming among women artists in the Middle East and Europe or a solo set of meditative music by Irish composer Judith Ring using vocals and a loop pedal, to an alternative jazz and progressive art music orchestra taking its audience on a surreal soundscape journey based on Slavic pagan rituals.

You can join the virtual celebration with your own special Art’s Birthday party hat! To see an online gallery display of the Art's Birthday folding hats from past years and to find folding instructions, go here.