Horizon Festival is seeking expressions of interest from established partners with a fully formed event, exhibition, performance, public program or cultural experience they would like to present as part of Horizon Festival 2027, taking place from 20 - 29 August 2027.
This callout is intended for organisations, venues, producers, companies, collectives and other presenting partners who already have the core delivery elements in place. Proposed projects should have a confirmed or strongly supported venue, an attached producer or producing team, a clear delivery model, an experienced project team, and the operational capacity to proceed with minimal support from Horizon Festival.
We are particularly interested in projects that are ready to meet a broader audience through the festival context. This may include partners seeking to expand their reach, connect with new demographics, deepen local engagement, strengthen visibility, test new audience development strategies, or position an existing event within a wider regional festival program.
Projects should align with Horizon Festival’s ethos: place-based, joyful, inclusive, rigorous and affecting. We are looking for projects that have a meaningful relationship to place, offers a generous experience for audiences, demonstrates artistic or cultural strength, and contributes to the energy, identity and ambition of Horizon Festival 2027.
Please note that this EOI is not intended for individual artists or companies seeking development support, seed funding, commissioning, venue-matching or full festival production support. Horizon Festival may provide programming consideration, festival context, marketing visibility, audience development opportunities and limited partnership support, but applicants should be able to demonstrate that their project is substantially resourced, planned and deliverable at the time of application.
The questions are intentionally detailed so the festival team can assess artistic fit, delivery readiness, venue suitability, producing capacity, audience potential, access, risk and partnership requirements.
Applications open Tuesday 13 October 2026
Applications close Tuesday 10 November 2026
Applicants advised Tuesday 1 December 2026
Who should apply
- Established organisations, venues, producers, companies, collectives, community organisations or other presenting partners with a fully formed event, exhibition, performance, public program or cultural experience.
- Partners with a confirmed or strongly supported venue or site available within the Horizon Festival 2027 dates of 20 - 29 August 2027.
- Projects with an attached producer or producing team, a clear delivery model, an experienced project team and the operational capacity to deliver with minimal Horizon Festival support.
- Partners seeking to expand audience reach, connect with new demographics, deepen local engagement, increase visibility, or position an existing event within a broader regional festival context.
- Projects that are substantially planned, resourced and ready to present, and that align with Horizon Festival’s ethos: place-based, joyful, inclusive, rigorous, and affecting.
Who should not apply
- Individual artists seeking development support, seed funding, commissioning, mentorship, venue-matching or full festival production support.
- Projects that are still at idea stage, early development stage or not yet ready to present within the 2027 festival dates.
- Applicants without a confirmed or strongly supported venue, site or presentation context.
- Applicants without an attached producer, producing team or clear delivery responsibility.
- Projects that require Horizon Festival to take primary responsibility for producing, staffing, budgeting, contracting, risk management, technical delivery or venue negotiation.
- Projects that do not have sufficient resources, permissions, insurance, access planning or operational support to be delivered safely and professionally.
If you have any questions regarding this application, please feel free to reach out to the Horizon team - horizon@sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au
The Smartygrants FAQ page may also answer some of your questions about using Smartygrants.
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