Take part in site festival 2026
Artwork above : Alice Lovegrove
Site Festival is open to anyone with an art practice in the Stroud District, or anyone who would like to base themselves here for Site Festival.
Open Studios is all about the community of artists who live out in the Five Valleys, working away in their spare rooms, sheds and kitchen worktops, as well as the more formal studio spaces.
We've worked with artists for nearly 30 years, developed a long lasting directory design, and supporting artists is at the very centre of the festival, so we welcome you to take part.
Taking part in site festival :
We have developed a range of ways to take part, to suit the needs of local artists. You can open your own studio, join another studio, showcase an exhibition or use the directory to promote your local business.
Open Studios - for artists to open a studio and promote their practice
Listing and Feature - for exhibitions and events on our Open Studios weekends
Display Advert - for events not happening on our Open Studios weekends, services offered to artists and local businesses.
Register by 26th February 2026.
THISS 2025 photographed by Alex Parnham-Cope
Register as an artist to open your studio for both weekends : 11am-5pm 13th-14th and 20-21 June
There are lower rates for artists sharing a studio. Groups of 2-4 artists get a 10% discount each, and groups of 5 or more artists get a 20% discount each.
Register by 26th February 2026.
2026 Fees
Solo Artist : £240
(£210 + £30 SVA membership fee)
2-4 artists : £219 per artist
(£189 + £30 SVA membership fee) 10% discount
5 or more artists : £198 per artist
(£168+ £30 membership fee) 20% discount
Discounted rates for 2026
Young Artists (30 and under) : 50% discount
Artists based in Cam, Dursley, Wotton-Under-Edge and surrounding areas : 20% discount
Bursary Artists : fully funded registration for artists aged 30 and under.
For all discounts please email kazz@sva.org.uk.
open studios
Listings and Features
The directory is made up of Open Studios Listings, and a section of Features. This option gives you both, as a group of artists.
You can register your exhibition or event, and have your information in the Open Studios directory. You will need to be open at the same time as Open Studios on both weekends : 11am-5pm 13th-14th and 20-21 June 2026.
Register by 26th February 2026.
2026 Fees
1/3 page : £290
1/2 page or 2/3 page : £377
Full page : £453
Display adverts
Display Advertising offers a 1/3 page, 1/2 page or full page advert in the directory. It’s a high quality, expertly curated, full colour 48 page publication produced to publicise Open Studios.
With a shelf life of over a year it provides a great space for advertising events, businesses, services or an organisation’s arts programme.
Booking deadline: 26th February 2026
Artwork deadline: 25th March 2026
Page spread with two 1/2 adverts, from 2025 directory.
Which one to choose?
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To take full advantage of the Open Studios directory, register as an Open Studios artist to get the most publicity and profile for your artistic practice.
As an Open Studios artist you get :
A profile in the directory about you and your work
SVA Associate membership for the year, which includes your work on the Artist Network website.
To take advantage of the Payback Scheme, where you can get up to £50 of your fee paid back to you for doing up to 5 hours work.
To take part in the group Site Exhibition.
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For a collective or group of artists who perhaps run in a more casual format, who wish to be on the Open Studios route but share the publicity as a group. It's a beautifully flexible way to be in the directory and collaborate with others.
The information will be on the Open Studio routes in the directory (which is based on location) and also in the Feature section. You’ll be open at the same time as Open Studios, so this can work really nicely for some groups.
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A great option if your exhibition, event, talk or workshop is being organised for a time that doesn’t fit within Site Festival, but you would still like to take the opportunity to promote it. Or if you have a local business that promotes or supports local artists in some form.
Find more Display Advert information.
Charlotte Aiken at SVA photographed by Nettie Atkisson
site festival
We set up Site Festival Open Studios in 1997 when we first moved into John Street Studios. The word OPEN not only reflects the open studio door welcoming curious visitors to discover the wonderful world of the artists studio but also it reflects SVA’s OPENNESS to all artists of all backgrounds, ages, disciplines and experience.
You can see a recent Archive of previous years, plus watch more films made for Site Festival.
In this film, artists from 2022 Site Festival share their thoughts, their studios and their work; from established artists such as Chris Bingle and Jo Casling, to emerging artists such as Elena Ferro Kirby.
