Festival Commons

Festival Commons is back – and EOIs are now open!

Now in its second year, Festival Commons is an initiative that supports the next wave of IBPoC (Indigenous, Black and People of Colour) festival-makers, curators and cultural conveners in Greater Sydney and the Asia Pacific. Four participants from Greater Sydney and two participants from the Asia Pacific will be selected, forming the next intake of Festival Commons: a collective of cultural disruptors reshaping what festivals can be.

We’re assembling community leaders who are already shaping gatherings across artist-led spaces, skate parks, community kitchens, drag houses, garage parties, club nights, Discords, TikToks and more.

Our goal is to connect and empower participants to expand the influence of their work in festivals and beyond. Festival Commons is a structural intervention, offering mentorship and resourcing to deepen existing practices among peers, alongside opportunities for skills development, sector leadership and international exchange.

Festival Commons began as a pilot during the 2026 Festival, and we're building on the energy of the six brilliant cultural organisers from Greater Sydney and the Asia Pacific who gathered with us last year: Bianca Hunt, Munasib Hamid, Chidiebube Uba and Dylan Goh from Sydney, Hasib Mahmud from Dhaka and Mithran R T Samuel from New Delhi. Learn more about the inaugural cohort here.

Importantly, they all return this year to join the new group – and their influence on our Festival and thinking is already rippling out.

Program details

Festival Immersion

A ten-day in-person lab from 15 – 25 January 2027, embedded within Sydney Festival’s 51st program.

Dive into masterclasses, roundtables, workshops and provocations with leading artistic and curatorial voices from across Australia and around the world.

Engage in informal gatherings and site visits that bring the group together in the height of Sydney’s summer.

Enjoy headline shows through complimentary tickets and behind-the-scenes access, offering a rare peek into how one of the biggest festivals in the southern hemisphere comes together.

Pre- and post-Festival online sessions

Participate in digital gatherings shaped around urgent sector conversations, designed to connect the cohort across time zones and extend the learning beyond the lab.

Peer-to-peer exchange

Festival Commons is designed to honour the expertise in the room.

The cohort will spark provocations, collaborate on ideas and learn from each other’s ways of hosting, gathering and making with community.

Radially growing network

Festival Commons is more than a one-off lab. It's a growing constellation of artists, curators, producers and cultural workers, radiating out from each cohort into new collaborations, shared opportunities and ongoing peer support.

Alumni remain connected across years as the network expands, strengthening pathways between Greater Sydney and the Asia Pacific.

Testimonials

Hear from the 2026 participants

“Festival Commons is all about solidarity and peer connection, which are instrumental to the work I do. I feel that I literally wouldn’t have a job without it.”
- Munasib Hamib (DJ / Radiohost / Curator)

Read more testimonials from the inaugural cohort about their impressions of the Festival Commons pilot season.

Support and accessibility

Honorarium: Each participant receives $2,400 AUD for their time. Australian participants will also receive superannuation.
Travel and accommodation: Flights, accommodation and per diems will be covered for international participants.
Accessibility: Auslan interpreters, captioning, mobility support, cultural protocols and other access requirements will be shaped with and for you.

Eligibility

We invite applications from:

Curators, producers, cultural organisers and creative workers who identify as IBPoC.
People based in Greater Sydney (with a specific emphasis on Western Sydney), including those working in or alongside community.
People based anywhere in the Asia Pacific. International participants are funded by Creative Australia, whose strategic priorities are Japan, Korea, Taiwan, mainland China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, India and New Zealand. If you are based elsewhere in the Asia Pacific you can still apply, but get in touch if you have any questions.
Those who may not identify as “leaders” but are already leading from within the community, in informal or self-determined ways.
People working in ways that are experimental, collective, community-driven and/or interdisciplinary.
We especially welcome those working outside institutions, or who’ve been overlooked by traditional leadership programs.

Important dates

Thursday 2 July: Expressions of Interest (EOIs) open.
Monday 21 July 6pm – 7pm (AEST): Online information session.
Thursday 13 August 11.59pm (AEST): EOI window closes.
Week commencing 14 September: Participants confirmed.
November 2026: Two 90-minute sessions pending schedules across time zones of participants.
15–25 January 2027: In-person lab (10 days).
March 2027: Two 90-minute sessions pending schedules across time zones of participants.

How to apply

Expressions of Interest (EOIs) for Festival Commons 2027 are now open.

To apply: Complete the form via the EOI button below.

Or download Expression of Interest questions as a Word Document here.

We recommend attending the online information session at 6pm AEST on 21 July for more information about the program and your application. If you can't make it, a recording of the session will be published here once it has concluded.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Applications close Thursday 13 August 2026, 11.59 AEST.

Submit your EOI

Festival Commons is designed and delivered by Sydney Festival in partnership with Blacktown Arts, Contemporary Asian Australian Performance (CAAP) and Encounter Theatre, and supported by Creative Australia. We thank Powerhouse Parramatta and Parramatta Artists Studios for generous venue support.

FAQs

Answers to your frequently asked questions

What happens during the ten-day lab?

The lab unfolds within the Festival: ten days of learning, making, sharing and collaborating. Each day runs for six hours, with mornings for big conversations and afternoons for practical sessions and field trips. There is also time to rest, reflect and break bread together.

A day might begin with First Nations curators and Traditional Custodians sharing what it means to practice culture on Country. Later, you might hear field notes from a first-time Artistic Director. Afternoons are for closed-door exercises like mapping your ideal position description, or a masterclass on concept touring with Sydney Festival Director Kris Nelson.

Days at the lab spill into evenings at Festival shows, twilight picnics and informal gatherings. Conversations continue long after the sessions end.

Do I need to be working in a formal arts organisation to apply?

No, we encourage applicants from collectives, community hubs, clubs, DIY scenes, digital platforms or other informal spaces.

Do I need to have curated a festival before?

No, we are looking for people with curatorial instincts – ideating, organising, convening, programming, solidarity-building. You may not use the word ‘curator’, but if you’re shaping cultural space, you’re eligible.

Is this a one-off opportunity?

We intend this program to build year on year, rather than reset. Therefore, we are co-designing how participants can remain connected to the program over the entire four years. You are not just attending a lab – you’re influencing the future of the festival and sector.

If I do not identify as Indigenous, Black and/or PoC, can I still apply to the program?

Festival Commons is a program designed specifically to support emerging curators and producers who identify as Indigenous, Black and/or People of Colour. This focus is intentional. It addresses the historic and ongoing exclusion of IBPoC practitioners from positions of leadership and decision-making in festivals and cultural institutions. In Australia, we only have 5% diverse leadership of our performing arts organisations, and a slow pace of change in representation across our major festivals. These statistics reflect a national sector out of step with the communities it serves, and hurt us all.

By centring IBPoC voices, the program seeks to create space for leadership models, curatorial frameworks and sector relationships that emerge from lived experience, community connection, and cultural knowledge systems that have too often been marginalised.

If you do not identify as Indigenous, Black and/or a Person of Colour, you are not eligible to apply. This ensures the program’s resources, networks and opportunities are directed towards those for whom it was specifically created, in line with its purpose of shifting representation and rebalancing power in the arts.

We invite you to stand with us in this purpose, and to support the work by championing IBPoC-led leadership in your own circles, organisations and communities.

Is this for me if I live outside Western Sydney?

Yes, if you are in Greater Sydney and share the values, affinities and aspirations of the program. We are prioritising Western Sydney participants but welcome connections across the whole city. There are two reserved places for participants who live in the Asia Pacific region.

Is this for me if I don’t live in Sydney full-time?

Applicants who are partially based in Sydney are eligible. For the purposes of this program, participants must be based in Sydney or Greater Sydney for at least six months of the year. While priority will be given to applicants who are based in Sydney full-time, we also welcome those who are partially based. If this applies to you, please provide supporting material in the application. In addition, two places are reserved for participants based in the Asia-Pacific region.

Is this for me if I don’t live in the Asia Pacific full-time?

Applicants who are partially based in the Asia Pacific are eligible. For the purposes of this program, participants must be based in the Asia Pacific for at least six months of the year. While priority will be given to applicants who are based in Asia Pacific full-time, we also welcome those who are partially based. If this applies to you, please provide supporting material in the application.

Can I apply via video or audio?

Yes, we welcome alternative formats. If you wish to supply your application in audio, video or otherwise, please contact Sydney Festival Associate Producer Maybelline San Juan via programming@sydneyfestival.org.au or +61 2 8248 6534 .

What is the selection process?

Applications will be reviewed by a panel of IBPoC artist-curators from Sydney Festival, Blacktown Arts, Contemporary Asian Australian Performance (CAAP) and Encounter Theatre, as well as an alumnus of the program. A detailed breakdown of the selection criteria can be found at the beginning of the EOI form.

How can I get support with my application?

For access needs, questions about eligibility or support preparing your application, please contact Maybelline San Juan, Associate Producer at programming@sydneyfestival.org.au or 02 8248 6534.

You can also attend the online information session on 13 July.