Round 23 of the Festivals Australia program is open for applications for arts projects at festivals and community events in regional and remote Australia.

A band plays their instruments in front of a lit-up sign that reads ‘Jazz Lab’.
The Jazz Lab at Milton Folk Jazz and Blues Festivals 2026, Bryce Gage, May 2026.

Festivals Australia supports arts projects that engage audiences through arts projects such as performances, workshops, installations, parades or exhibitions delivered at a festival or a significant one-off community event.

Festivals Australia provides up to $1.48 million in funding each year over 2 rounds. The program supports arts-driven experiences in regional or remote Australia, fosters local talent, grows audiences and connects communities. Projects commencing from 1 February 2027 are eligible to apply.

Previous recipients include:

  • The Man From Snowy River Bush Festival—Where the Poem Comes Alive, Corryong, Vic: Artists will create 2 large murals during the festival in April 2027. Visitors can watch the artwork develop and experience the community's interpretation of the region. The murals will reflect shared community input as to the most appropriate local legends to be shown.
  • Sit Down Shutup and Watch Screen Festival, Consensus, Barossa Valley, SA: The festival will deliver a day of workshops in October. Participants will use visceral clay and/or blender, the digital equivalent, to create and animate positive effigies of themselves. These short animations will combine to form a digital epic.
  • Bribie Island Nature Festival, YARUNYUNG, Bribie Island, Qld: A collaborative, multi-disciplinary art and fashion performance event premiering at the Bribie Island Nature Festival in October. Emerging First Nations designers will showcase original wearable artworks in runway-style fashion performance accompanied by live music. Immersive projections will also be created using the young artists' designs.

Round 23 of the Festivals Australia program is open for applications until 13 October 2026. For more information and to apply, visit the Festivals Australia page.

Find out more

Visit our Festivals Australia page