Summer Arts Festival:
Entertainment Application - MAIN STAGE
Festival Dates: June 25, 26, 27 2027
Deadline to submit: February 5th, 2027
Local, regional, and national acts are welcome to submit an application to be part of our Main Stage lineup for the 58th Annual Summer Arts Festival! The Main Stage is made possible through generous local community partnership support, and is located on the north side of the building in our Food Court the heart of festival. Here, festival guests get to enjoy amazing food and drink alongside energetic musical performances with plenty of space for dancing and audience participation.
Our Main Stage lineup is carefully selected and curated to provide upbeat, energetic, and family-friendly performances that can be enjoyed by everyone in the community. All Main Stage Entertainment applications are reviewed to ensure that the musical talents align with the philosophy and goals of the Summer Arts Festival. When evaluating applications, the following is considered:
- The musician's proficiency with musical elements such as pitch, rhythm, text articulation, etc.
- The music is energetic, dynamic, and family-friendly.
- The band's stage presence is strong, confident, and engaging with the audience.
All applications for the Main Stage Entertainment are reviewed and juried after the February 5th deadline. If selected, you will receive notification of your acceptance no later than February 26th, wherein a discussion about payment, performance dates/times, and more will be discussed with the Representative listed on the application.
APPLICATION TIMELINE
- Application Deadline: February 5th
- All Applicants Notified: February 26th
- Entertainment Contracts & W-9s Due: March 26th or upon receipt.
- Entertainment Booklet Sent: May 21st
MAIN STAGE LINEUP
The Main Stage runs all three days of the festival. Each set is 90 minutes long, with 30 minutes in between to change equipment and get ready for the next act. See below for the opening time (Start of the first act) and closing time (End of the last act) for each day of the festival:
Friday, June 25th: 3:00pm-8:30pm
Saturday, June 26th: 3:00pm-8:30pm
Sunday, June 27th: 12:00pm-3:30pm
ENTERTAINMENT PAYMENT INFORMATION
It is FREE for all interested applicants to apply. All applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis leading up to the February 5th deadline and confirmed until all timeslots are filled. If all timeslots are filled before the final deadline, the application process will be closed. This rolling jury is to ensure a timely response for confirming availability and discussing payment with each accepted musician/band. Once a musician/band is confirmed, UVA will send a contract outlining the confirmed payment amount, expectations, a W-9 for tax purposes (UVA is required to report all earnings over $600 in a calendar year), and our Entertainment Booklet.
The Summer Arts Festival is UVA's biggest fundraiser of the year, providing our organization with essential funding that helps us stay sustainable and operational as we provide year-round arts and educational programming to our community. Our Main Stage, and the rest of the festival, is made possible by the generous support of community partners who contribute to our event.
MAIN STAGE APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
All Main Stage applicants MUST complete the online form in its entirety to be considered for jurying. Requirements of this form include:
- All applications MUST contain links to examples of their music.
- LIVE PERFORMANCE EXAMPLES PREFERRED. Links to studio recordings may be submitted to show a broader representation of the groups music, but we request as live performances that accurately reflect the group's current members and general sound when performing live.
- Submissions made using slides, physical cds/tapes, paper applications, or emailed resumes/CVs and digital music/video files will not be accepted for jurying.