Sydney Festival: Festival Commons 2027 for Asia-Pacific IBPoC Festival Leaders (Australia)
Festival Commons invites IBPoC curators, producers, and cultural organisers from Greater Sydney and the Asia Pacific to participate in a ten-day in-person lab in January 2027 embedded within Sydney Festival's 51st programme.
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Get matched →- Deadline
- 2 days left
- Entry fee
- Free
- Award
- $2,400
- Location
- Sydney Festival, Sydney, Australia
- Exhibition window
- Jan 15, 2027 → Jan 25, 2027
About
Overview
Festival Commons is an initiative supporting 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 from the Asia Pacific will be selected to form the next intake of this collective of cultural disruptors reshaping what festivals can be.
Programme
A ten-day in-person lab from 15–25 January 2027, embedded within Sydney Festival's 51st programme, featuring masterclasses, roundtables, workshops and provocations with leading artistic and curatorial voices from across Australia and around the world. Participants will also engage in pre- and post-festival online sessions, peer-to-peer exchange and a growing network.
Who can apply
- Curators, producers, cultural organisers and creative workers who identify as IBPoC
- People based in Greater Sydney (with emphasis on Western Sydney), including those working in or alongside community
- People based anywhere in the Asia Pacific; international participants from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, mainland China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, India and New Zealand are funded by Creative Australia
- Those who may not identify as 'leaders' but are already leading from within the community, in informal or self-determined ways
- People working in experimental, collective, community-driven and/or interdisciplinary ways
- Those working outside institutions or who've been overlooked by traditional leadership programmes
Support
- AUD 2,400 per participant
- Australian participants also receive superannuation
- Flights, accommodation and per diems covered for international participants
- Auslan interpreters, captioning, mobility support, cultural protocols and other access requirements will be shaped with and for participants
Key dates
- Application deadline: 13 August 2026
- In-person lab: 15–25 January 2027
- Award
- AUD 2,400 per participant; flights, accommodation and per diems covered for international participants; Australian participants also receive superannuation
- Entry fee
- Free to enter
- Theme
- A programme supporting the next wave of IBPoC festival-makers, curators and cultural conveners to reshape what festivals can be through masterclasses, roundtables, workshops and provocations with leading artistic and curatorial voices.
- Eligibility
- IBPoC curators, producers, cultural organisers and creative workers based in Greater Sydney (especially Western Sydney), the Asia Pacific, or eligible international locations (Japan, Korea, Taiwan, mainland China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, India, New Zealand).
- Audience
- IBPoC curators, producers, cultural organisers, and creative workers from Greater Sydney and the Asia Pacific
Every listing links to the organizer's official page. Always confirm deadlines, fees, and entry rules there before you apply.