Paisley Arts Festival Open Call out for Artists

Paisley Arts Festival 2026
Open Call for Proposals

Deadline: Friday 7th Nov 2025

Fee: up to £1000 depending on the activity and the project scale.

Fees must include all artist fees, materials, travel and delivery costs.

Paisley Arts Festival is looking for locally-led events to be part of our 2026 programme.

We’re inviting Renfrewshire based artists, collectives, producers, creative organisations, or community groups who produce creative work to pitch ideas that respond to the festival theme ‘The Paisley Sound’

Paisley has always been bold, passionate and unafraid of noise. The Paisley Sound captures both the musical celebration and the town’s radical energy. It’s not empty noise, but sound with meaning – the roar of protest, the clatter of industry, the joy of music, and the creative defiance that defines Paisley.

We are especially keen to receive pitches for the following
• Performances
• Film screenings
• Workshops/creative sessions
• Discussions
• Or other creative events that connect with local audiences

We encourage those applying to consider environmental sustainability in the creation and presentation of the work. This could include for example, choice of materials, minimising waste or through the subject matter of work you are presenting. Alongside our core programme, the festival will present a special Family Day. We also invite ideas that can engage our family audience in creative and ambitious ways.

Paisley Arts Festival is a 3-day programme across performance, music and visual arts, to be launched in March 2026.

The festival programme will take inspiration from Paisley’s unique stories, culture and locations where possible, animating the town centre, physically connecting the newly transformed cultural venues though a unique and unexpected programme of activity and experiences, that create a platform for a diverse range of performers/artists to have an impact that will ripple throughout Scotland and beyond.

Audiences will experience the town in new and inspiring ways, access high quality, relevant cultural activity, discover the arts through carefully curated programming, participate in creative activity and immersive events, engage with new and challenging ideas.

For full details and how to apply please click link below.