The slogan "Turku on Fire", referred to the numerous fires which destroyed the city along its history but also to the wonderful energy that the organisers put in the event, with 150 cultural projects, several of which had a strong European dimension.

Tallinn’s programme carried the motto “Stories of the Seashore”, reflecting the city's ambition to reconnect its urban core with its long-inaccessible coastline. A key legacy of the year was the transformation of the Seaplane Harbour into a world-class maritime museum which became Estonia’s most visited museum.