Site festival 2026
Site Festival is an annual programme of artist-led projects from SVA; events, exhibitions, talks and directory of Open Studios in the Stroud district; established in 1997.
61 artists open their studio doors in 38 locations in the Stroud Valleys over 2 weekends in June 2026.
Plus over 160 artists exhibiting and performing in exhibitions and events over the full festival programme: 3rd - 30th June.
festival programme highlights
Double Take
13th-21st June
SVA John Street Gallery
Nik Ramage is a mechanical sculptor, bringing odd ideas to life with moving parts and found objects. For his residency at SVA, he will show Double Take, a two-week show of mechanical oddities and everyday objects having unexpected encounters.
You may find clocks misbehaving, fruit being caressed, wooden hands scratching unseen itches and shoes walking themselves.
Cultivating Connections with Sophie Ferrier and Zerodig
13th-14th & 21st-22nd June
Zerodig, Oakbrook Farm
SVA is working with Zerodig Farm and Curriculum For Life to lead a creative engagement programme that brings together young creatives, families, and artists to explore the intersection of science, farming, and global stories through participatory art.
Sophie Ferrier is a multi-media, interdisciplinary ecological artist/ craftsperson near Hay on Wye and is our resident artist at Zerodig for Open Studios.
Gravity
5th-28th June
Chapels of Rest, Stroud Cemetery
Nick Grellier presents GRAVITY, an exhibition of recent drawing, sculpture, text works and moving image.
The objects, forms and materials resonate with the essence of the Chapels of Rest which carry the imprint of previous lives passing through; traces of their purpose remain embedded in the buildings’ fabric.
sickboy
11th-21st June
16 George Street, Stroud, GL5 3DY
This site-specific installation occupies a vacant premises in a post-industrial town centre, activating a space shaped by absence and transition. Once a site of productivity, the building now exists in suspension between past function and an undefined future.
The work occupies the window façade, enabling it to be viewed from the street. At its centre is The Temple, the artist’s recurring symbol.
Open Studios 2026
13th-14th and 20th-21st June 2026
61 artists open their studio doors in 38 locations along 6 routes in the Stroud Valleys over 2 weekends.
The routes start from right in the centre of Stroud and stretch out right across the district from Painswick to Wotton-under-Edge, from Chavenage to Stonehouse and from Uley to Chalford.
Look out for the printed directories and online to plan your visit. This is a perfect chance to discover more about the wonderful community of artists who work here, as well the incredible diversity of places that they work from.
Come and explore the hidden creativity veins of these green valleys, feel inspired and also why not invest in some unique original local artworks.
Open Studios 2026 : Victoria Rees
annual arts festival in stroud
Site Festival is an annual programme of artist-led projects from SVA; events, exhibitions, talks and directory of Open Studios in the Stroud district; established in 1997.
We set up Site Festival Open Studios in 1997 when we first moved into John Street Studios. For us it was really important that SVA was not just about the building itself.
It's also about the community of artists who lived out in the Five Valleys, working away in their spare rooms, sheds and kitchen worktops, as well as the more formal studio spaces.
Taster Exhibition at Stroud Brewery : Lucian Taylor