Festivals and events sponsorship program

Through the festivals and events sponsorship program, the City of Sydney aims to support festivals and events that celebrate, develop and engage our communities.

We provide support for festivals and events under 2 categories:

Artform-focused festivals and events that provide important contexts for the work of artists, showcase innovation in artform and help build connections between artists and audiences.

Village and community festivals and events that celebrate the spirit of a community and build opportunities to share its cultural characteristics with a wider public, or events that nurture and amplify the unique characteristics of the city and village precincts, and meet the City of Sydney’s broader place-making objectives and showcase a local community, including local business.

Please see grants and sponsorship guidelines for expected program outcomes and eligibility.

To see what projects have been awarded City grants and sponsorships in the past, please search for grants in our statutory returns annual reports.

Funding available

Funding is available for a 1-year program or a program of up to 3 years. New village and community festivals and events can apply for up to $30,000. Funding for established or other festivals and events will be negotiated upon consultation. Festivals and events seeking multi-year support must contact us before application.

For applications of $20,000 and over, applicants must contact the City of Sydney to discuss their project before submitting an application.

Key dates

Grant round 1

• Applications open: 5 February 2020
• Applications close: 9 March 2020
• Project timeframe: 1 August 2020–31 July 2021
• Recommendations to Council: 29 June 2020

Grant round 2

• Applications open: 29 July 2020
• Applications close: 31 August  2020
• Project timeframe: 1 January 2021–31 December 2021
• Recommendations to Council: 16 November 2020

Recommendations to Council is the time when applications are discussed and councillors decide to support or reject the recommendations presented to them.