The deadline to register is 11.59pm on 24th April 2026. Registration is limited to 165 exhibitions, so apply soon to guarantee your place.

Once you have completed the registration form and paid online (by credit / debit card) you will receive an order confirmation.

You do not need an image or text about your exhibition at this stage, we will collect those later once you have completed the first registration.

You do not need an image or text about your exhibition at this stage, we will collect those later once you have completed the first registration.

No - but there are subsidised fees to take part in the event if your exhibition location is within the Lewes District Council boundaries.

No - but there are subsidised fees to take part in the event if your exhibition location is within the Lewes District Council boundaries. We do also welcome exhibitions within a 5 mile radius of the Lewes District boundaries .

If you don’t have anywhere to exhibit you can register to our Guest Artist Directory. Exhibition organisers who are looking for additional artists and makers may then invite you to be a guest artist in their exhibition.

Please note that an exhibition space is not guaranteed. Artists can be based anywhere in the UK.

No. All registration fees are non-refundable unless the event is cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. By completing the registration form you are confirming you will take part in Artwave 2026.

All venues should take out public liability insurance.

Other costs are optional but can include:

• Additional posters, flyers or banners to advertise your exhibition

• Private view: including drinks, invitations etc

• Publicity for your exhibition: including a website, flyers etc

• Wrapping and sales materials

• Cash box and / or credit card facilities

No - we are an inclusive un-curated festival and there is no jury selection. We encourage artists and makers of all ages, and at all stages of their career to take part.

We are proud to have supported work by school and college students, marginalised artists and outreach groups, alongside established artists. 

Yes - many participants invite other artists and makers to show work alongside them, which can increase visitors as well as share the costs and work involved in taking part. Please note that there are different (slightly higher) registration fees depending on the number of artists taking part.

Yes - however please note we only accept exhibitions that have been curated for Artwave i.e. they must be unique exhibitions for the festival and not existing or permanent displays. However, the work you show can be existing work.

No! Your exhibition does not have to include work for sale. There is a subsidised rate for non-commercial exhibitions where work is not for sale.

Artwave has no rules in place for this and expect no income except for the registration fee (i.e we do not charge commission). In some cases, exhibition organisers charge a fee for artists to take part, charge a submission fee or charge commission on sales. In other cases all share the costs evenly. It is up to you.

Artwave has no rules in place for this and expect no income except for the registration fee (i.e we do not charge commission). In some cases the shop / business pays for the Artwave registration and then charges the artist(s) to exhibit work with them, and / or a commission on sales. In other cases the artist has paid all the Artwave fees and been given the space for free by the shop / business. This is all down to you to negotiate and up to every individual exhibition to decide this themselves.

All venues should take out Public Liability insurance. If someone has a serious accident in your workshop or studio, you could be sued. You may wish to check with your insurer to see if you are already covered for Public Liability. Please take every precaution to exhibit your artwork safely. We cannot recommend specific insurance companies, however excellent information and options can be found through Artists' Newsletter. Lewes District Council does not accept liability for any loss, damage or injury sustained by any member of the public in relation to Artwave Festival.

You should discuss your insurance needs with any shop or business you exhibit in, as their current insurance may cover the event.

This is optional depending on the amount of days you will be open and the facilities you are providing. Remember to factor in your time for promoting your exhibition, setting up and taking down work and that your venue must be invigilated during opening hours.

It can be a lot of work to participate in Artwave, especially if you are opening your own home, but our venue hosts tell us that it is a rewarding experience!

No - it is a purely personal choice. You can open at any point from 5 - 20 September 2026 for just one day or every day! 

Feedback from previous years has shown that opening between 11am and 5pm over weekends is successful.

Feedback also tells us that opening on similar days and times to other venues near to you (especially in more rural locations) helps to draw more visitors. Therefore, it is a good idea to liaise with other exhibitors in your local area and synchronise your opening times as much as possible.

Yes - you can arrange as many associated events as you would like to. However, please note that the Artwave fee is only to promote exhibition listings and any event promotion will have to be done yourself.

The Artwave team promotes the festival as a whole via our social media channels, our widely distributed brochures, posters, and via local and national press and district communications.

We have 165 exhibitions within the festival and so therefore strongly recommend that you produce your own publicity, flyers, posters, press releases etc and circulate these to your mailing lists or contacts.

Remember that you are in (friendly!) competition with the other open houses to attract visitors, and venues that do their own promotion usually report better attendance.

Start your publicity well in advance of the festival and remember to check deadlines of individual publications. You will be given information on marketing ideas when you have registered. 

Please remember that when displaying posters and banners outside your venue or elsewhere in the area you may need to obtain permission for a temporary advertisement from the local planning authority under the Town & Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations 2007. Failure to obtain the appropriate permission may result in prosecution. Contact Lewes District Council Planning for more details. 

We ask that you maintain the Artwave branding on all of your publicity by using the logo and following the style guide. Artwave has built a strong reputation over its 33 years and regular festival goers and visitors will be looking out for the logo.

The Disability and Discrimination Act (DDA) came into force in 2004 and requires anyone inviting the public to an event or exhibition to make reasonable adjustments for access. The Artwave website will list whether your venue has full disabled access or not.

Only registered food businesses are allowed to sell / serve food and drink. You can register with Lewes District Council as a food business during Artwave free of charge here.

There are also many local businesses who have mobile catering who you can work with. It is up to you / your group to decide with them in terms of how costs and income are shared.

Artwave expects no income except for the registration fee. Please note that you are not allowed to charge for alcohol without the appropriate licenses.

In 2025, the festival attracted an estimated 62,000+ visits over 3 weekends, with 100% of visitors saying they would return. However, Artwave is not responsible for the number of visitors to your exhibition, as this is dependent on many factors including your location and other venues open near you.

The Artwave team does promote the overall festival, but visitor numbers can be significantly increased by promoting your own venue. Social media, in particular Instagram, has proved an increasingly popular tool, but posters, articles in local parish papers and word of mouth work well too when spreading the word!

See notes above on 'Do I need to promote my own exhibition'.

Yes - it is a purely personal choice if you wish to raise money for a charity/charities. In previous years many exhibitions have raised money for local and national charities.

Please note the charity discount rate is only for registered charities and CICs arranging an exhibition, and NOT for exhibitions giving a proportion of money to charity.