Ice baths with Tiberiu Ușeriu, bread tastings with Lara Schütz, mapping the Universitarilor House garden with Nicolas Triboi, and sound healing sessions with Awa Ly are just a few of the unique activities awaiting participants at the 9th edition of UNFINISHED. Over three days, from September 27-29, House Of Ideas, the heritage greenhouse, and the 4000-square-meter garden in the heart of Bucharest will transform into a hub for the UNFINISHED community.
There will be experiences, conversations, installations, performances, wellness sessions, and more waiting for the 3,141 selected participants who will close out September together. This year’s theme is *PRAXIS*, focusing on connecting theory with practice, encouraging us to move from passive information receivers to active creators of our own learning experiences, and embracing the present moment with all its surprises.
House of Ideas Becomes a No-Phone Zone
To fully embrace this philosophy, UNFINISHED will introduce a No-Phone Zone this year—a space that encourages deep thinking and raw, unfiltered experiences. This means the House of Ideas will have no signal, pushing participants to connect with one another and be fully present.
The only way to join UNFINISHED is through an application and selection process by the festival’s organizers. You can apply at [apply.unfinished.ro](http://apply.unfinished.ro).
6 Must-Try Experiences at UNFINISHED
- Urban Planning Walk with Lior Steinberg – What better way to talk about urban changes than by walking through the city? Urbanist Lior Steinberg will lead a moving workshop through Bucharest, discussing how cities shape human interaction and touching on topics like infrastructure, planning mistakes, transformation opportunities, and urban strengths.
Lior Steinberg, co-founder of Humankind, a multidisciplinary urban change agency, helps cities plan spaces that go beyond functionality, making urban areas more human-friendly. In 2022, he published *The Car That Wanted to Be a Bike*, a children’s book about the joy of cycling and the future of cities.
- Bread Tasting with Lara Schütz
What’s your earliest memory of bread? What does love smell like? What flavors come to mind when you think of the bread from your childhood? These are just a few of the questions that Lara Schütz will explore with participants. Born in Romania and based in Austria, Lara fell in love with the smell of freshly baked bread thanks to her grandmother. At UNFINISHED, she’ll guide participants to better understand the process of bread-making and appreciate its aroma, taste, and texture.
- Sound Healing with Awa Ly – Music has the power to heal. Sound therapy, or acoustic healing, has been used for centuries to help people, using vocal vibrations and instruments to stimulate the nervous system. At UNFINISHED, Awa Ly will lead two sound healing sessions in addition to her live performance. A French singer of Senegalese origin, Awa’s music, particularly from her album *Safe and Sound*, explores shared emotions and the collective human experience. Her sessions are more than just performances—they’re deeply immersive, blending voice, hand choreography, and movement.
- Morning Bootcamp with Tiberiu Ușeriu – Start your day the way an endurance athlete does! This bootcamp, led by Tiberiu Ușeriu, offers a unique opportunity to join his daily training routine. The session includes running, stretching, ice baths, and a nutritious breakfast, designed to fuel you like a top athlete. You’ll get a glimpse into the regimen that has shaped the career of one of the most accomplished endurance athletes in the world.
- Live Cartography with Nicolas Triboi – Continuing the work started by Nicolas Triboi in 2022, when UNFINISHED moved into the Universitarilor House garden, this project aims to further restore one of Bucharest’s most beautiful urban gardens, based on the original 1860 plans of Casa Librecht-Filipescu. In this hands-on experience, participants will explore and document every form of life—plants, trees, birds, insects—that sustains this urban ecosystem.
- Botanical Dyes with Adelina Toma – Nature is the true artist when it comes to colors. But what does it mean to wear nature on your body? How do natural dyes and fabrics interact with our skin and the world around us? Slow-fashion designer Adelina Toma, founder of Ițe Urbane, will teach participants traditional plant-dyeing techniques. Additionally, Adelina will create a permanent installation in the UNFINISHED greenhouse, where the community gathers for shared meals—breakfast, lunch, and dinner
How to Apply for UNFINISHED
As always, participating in the festival requires time and commitment. The only way to gain access to the UNFINISHED community is by completing an application where you’ll share your values, motivations, and what you bring to the festival. Applications are open at www.unfinished.ro, and only 3,141 participants will be selected this year.
The UNFINISHED festival is held under the high patronage of the European Parliament. More details about this year’s edition and more speakers are announced on www.unfinished.ro and the event’s social media pages.