Wandsworth Council Calls Out For Artists and Launches Funding For WAF2025

Wandsworth Arts Fringe will return from Fri 6 to Sun 22 June 2025 and Wandsworth Council is calling out for established and emerging artists take part. Expressions of interest and applications for WAF Grants of up to £2,000 per project open today. The borough's 2025 flagship festival of arts and culture will be the most ambitious yet, as Wandsworth has been chosen as The Mayor of London's London Borough of Culture for 2025.

Every Summer, WAF brings together hundreds of creatives in a bold and boundary pushing annual line-up of cutting-edge theatre and dance, brand new music, exhibitions, comedy, performance art, outdoor extravaganzas and everything in between, taking place across the borough of Wandsworth. And this year it will be even grander as WAF becomes one of the highlights of our London Borough of Culture programme.

A testing ground for bold, experimental work, WAF is an inclusive festival gathering artists from the length and breadth of the UK, from across globe, and from down the street. If you want to try out new work, connect with creative networks and be part of something that thrills and inspires audiences from across London and beyond, WAF wants you.

Wandsworth's year as London Borough of Culture kicks off in April 2025. Wandsworth's cultural programme, co-created with residents and local artists, will be a catalyst for exciting change across the borough and see every corner of the borough – from Putney to Tooting and Battersea to Roehampton – come alive in an explosion of creativity.

“We know that culture is powerful – sparking joy, connecting people, and transforming lives to improve our health and happiness. We are bringing the energy of our annual celebration of arts and culture to a full year of extraordinary events and grassroots interventions, opportunities and long-term transformations for Wandsworth's artists and residents” says Councillor Kemi Akinola, Wandsworth Council's Deputy Leader and cabinet member for the voluntary sector, business engagement and culture.

Each year, the WAF Grant scheme awards up to £2000 (per project) to support the realisation of creative projects that engage meaningfully with Wandsworth communities and meet the strategic themes for Wandsworth's London Borough of Culture. For Wandsworth London Borough of Culture year, the available WAF Grant funding is £88,000 – representing up to 44 supported projects.

The programme will focus on five key themes, harnessing the power of culture to:

CONNECT: Connect people to life-changing experiences – opening the doors to creative jobs, discovering heritage and meeting people where they are, so that we can fall in love with arts and culture.

UNITE: Unite, because we are better together, united by or aspiration to imagine a brighter future for people, communities, and our borough.

HEAL: Because building arts and culture into healthcare helps us thrive. By approaching wellbeing holistically, culture can support people body and soul, to live better.

NOURISH: Creating the conditions for young people to express their creativity and be part of their communities.

ACTIVATE: Inspiring people through culture to take real steps to reduce pollution and their carbon footprint; reconnecting people with sustainable living and the natural environment.

In 2025, WAF will be teaming up with the Wandsworth Heritage Festival. The annual festival of talks, walks and events celebrating Wandsworth's heritage usually kicks off in May each year and lasts for three weeks, but during Wandsworth's year as London Borough of Culture it will take place from 13 June – 13 July. For one week (13 – 22 June) Wandsworth Heritage Festival and WAF will overlap with a double helping of cultural events. WAF Grant applications are therefore also open to local heritage events and projects with an arts element which can take place during this week.

WAF offers 50% off registration fees for artists under 26 or for artist collectives with over half of their members aged under 26. Artists also benefit from a £5 artist ticket scheme, plus a series of networking and professional development workshops for creatives taking part in the festival.

Key dates: 

• Expressions of interest open (artists, practitioners, and venues): Mon 9 September 2024
• WAF Grants open: Mon 9 September 2024
• WAF Grants applications close: 30 October 2024
• Registrations (Early bird) opens:  Mon 2 December 2024
• WAF Grants announced: mid-December 2024
• Expressions of interest close: Thu 12 December 2024
• Early bird registrations close:  Thu 9 January 2025, 5pm
• Final registration and copy deadline:  Fri 14 February 2025, 5pm
• WAF festival dates: Fri 6 to Sun 22 June 2025

How to take part: 

STEP 1:  Fill in an Expression of Interest form. Get in touch, talk to us, let us know your ideas so we can help put you in touch with venues/locations/funding opportunities to make your WAF event happen. At this stage you are not committed to be part of WAF, we just want to chat and hear your thoughts. wandsworthartsfringe.com/expressions-of-interest

STEP 2:  Find and secure a venue or choose a digital platform. If your event is live, you will need to confirm a date and time directly with the venue. If you need some help finding a venue, let us know as soon as possible. wandsworthartsfringe.com/get-involved/venue-list

STEP 3:  Pay to register your event by Fri 14 February 2025, 5pm. You must register your event/activity online to be part of WAF. As part of the registration process you will be asked to provide date, time, location and pay the registration portal. You can take advantage of our Early Bird offers until Thu 9 January 2025, 5pm.

STEP 3:  Make sure you upload all the details of your event(s) including a short copy description, image(s), ticket prices, and accessibility measures. The deadline is Fri 14 February 2025, 5pm.

WAF Creatives Sessions

We hold a series of WAF learning sessions for artists and contributors in the lead up to the registration deadline and festival dates. These are an opportunity for you to meet the WAF team and get the most out of taking part: WAF Creatives Sessions.

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