Annual One Caucasus Festival is an interdisciplinary festival and a long-term borderland program that first took place in Georgia in 2014. The event is located in the region Marneuli, Kvemo-Kartli,
at the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. It is a non-profit, free-admission initiative.
The main One Caucasus Festival in Tserakvi is taking a break in 2025 and is expected to return in 2026.
The information below describes the 2024 international volunteer & co-creator program and is kept as an archive so future volunteers can see how the project usually works. For current calls
(such as smaller projects, residencies or music academies) please always check the official website (see contact details below).
Archive – 2024 volunteer call at One Caucasus Festival in Georgia 🎉
- 🎨 Explore creative education, multimedia art, and participatory architecture.
- 🎉 Co-create with us the biggest interdisciplinary music festival in Tserakvi.
🗓️ When (2024 edition)?
- Long-term program: 6–25 August.
- Short-term program: 19–25 August.
During the festival the organisation covered accommodation and 3 meals per day in Tserakvi.
One Caucasus 2014–2019 in numbers
- More than 300 volunteers from 36 countries joined the International Volunteer Program and worked in international task teams to create One Caucasus Festival and the Educational Program.
- 431 musicians (individual musicians and 63 bands & collectives) from at least 17 countries created 32 new international music projects and performed at the festival (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Algeria, Barbados, France, Georgia, Germany, Iran, Jamaica, New Zealand, Nigeria, Poland, Scotland, Senegal, UK, Ukraine, USA and more).
- 71 different workshops and workshop cycles were led by educators from 33 countries for more than 1,020 people (especially kids and youth) from 23 villages and towns of the Kvemo-Kartli region.
- Architects and architecture students from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Poland and Tunisia designed and constructed a unique One Caucasus Town each year – the “Not-Perfect Town of Our Dreams” – using stored wood and recycled materials.
- Around 10,000+ people have attended One Caucasus Festival.
What type of host are you?
One Caucasus Festival brings together musicians, artists, architects, educators and volunteers from all over the world who work directly with communities (especially youth) from Kvemo-Kartli – a region of Georgia where multi-ethnic groups coexist in peace (Armenians, Azerbaijani, Greeks, Georgians).
Mission of the community
The aim is to create a safe space for people from the whole Caucasus region and beyond to meet. Through creativity and co-creation, the festival helps build understanding between people from very different backgrounds, including communities affected by conflict. Volunteers join five international teams that cover all aspects of the festival and program. For example, the Architecture & Construction Team designs and builds a multifunctional One Caucasus Town from stored wood and recycled materials – a functional, unique venue with no rented pavilions.
Volunteers do not only “help” but work side-by-side with professionals and experts, learning by doing and contributing their own ideas. Local youth are not only an audience – they co-create films, performances, installations and other art pieces based on local heritage, legends and their own stories. Children work with educators and volunteers with professional equipment during the pre-festival days.
Every year around 50 volunteers are needed to run the festival and program.
When are volunteers usually needed?
For on-site editions, the International Volunteer Program in Tserakvi normally takes place in August (about three weeks, including pre-festival days and main festival days). In some years the organisation also offers online volunteering tasks spread across the year.
How many hours of help per day?
Depending on the team and role, volunteers usually contribute between 4 and 8 hours per day, with time off for rest, exploration and jam sessions.
Are accommodation and food included?
Yes, food and accommodation are provided for on-site volunteers in Tserakvi.
What type of accommodation can you provide?
- Dormitory/shared rooms (in the local school turned into a volunteer house)
- Tent spaces
- Other simple festival accommodation options depending on the edition
Over the years volunteers have helped renovate the school: there are working toilets, showers and electricity (with occasional cuts), plus wooden beds and plenty of mattresses. You can sleep in the school or in a tent.
Online volunteering
When online programs are offered, volunteers contribute remotely and cover their own living costs. No accommodation or food is provided for online roles.
Fees transparency
- Volunteers cover their own travel expenses to and from Georgia.
- There are no participation fees.
Selected volunteers join the International Volunteer Program free of charge.
VISA – can you provide Visa support?
No – the organisers cannot provide visa letters or invitations. Similar requests may be ignored.
Volunteers’ benefits
- Experience of working closely with professionals and experts
- Being part of one of the most unique festivals in the Caucasus region
- Meaningful time in Georgia and in the village of Tserakvi
- Inspiration from carefully selected team members from around the world
- Deep dive into local culture and heritage plus stunning nature
- Space to implement your own ideas and learn from others
- Certificate of participation describing your role during the festival
Free time
Volunteers can join jam sessions, swim in the Sioni river, walk through the village and meet locals, enjoy regional food and drinks, go hiking, organise bonfires, play sports, relax in hammocks and get creative with other volunteers.
Language
English is the main working language. Depending on the team and activities, Georgian, Armenian, Azerbaijani or Russian can also be useful.
Geography
In August the weather is mostly warm and sunny with occasional rain and storms. Tserakvi is in the borderland region between Armenia and Azerbaijan, surrounded by hills, fields and mountains.
How to get there
Volunteers usually travel to Tbilisi (capital of Georgia). From there, One Caucasus organises group transfers to the festival venue in Tserakvi.
Location
Tserakvi, Marneuli district, Kvemo-Kartli region, Georgia, Caucasus, Eurasia.
Google coordinates: 41.290957, 44.658660 📍
Is there internet access?
Yes, there is basic internet access at the site.
CONTACT DETAILS 📧🔍
For current calls and the newest info, please visit the official website and follow the instructions in the
latest volunteer / co-creator announcements:
Website 👉 https://www.onecaucasus.org E-mail: onecaucasusfestival@gmail.com
Facebook official page
Hostname: One Caucasus Festival and Program