Take Part Boiler House Festival 2026

Harrow Arts Centre's mini- fringe festival is back!

Over the last few years, The Boiler House Festival has welcomed a variety of innovative and original performances, showcasing up-and-coming local talents, writers and artists from Harrow and beyond. We are excited to announce that applications are now OPEN for 2026, and we want to hear from you!

The fourth edition of the Boiler House Festival will serve as a key part of our Summer Season. We are on the hunt for emerging creatives to bring new work to us as part of this, in any format such as Dance, Drama, Immersive Performance, Spoken Word, Music, Comedy or Visual Arts.

Harrow Arts Centre, a community-centric venue, continues to enhance the lives of the diverse Harrow community through the transformative power of arts and culture. Supported by GLA funding, we have transformed our previously dilapidated Boiler House into a dynamic creative hub.

When 

Throughout the month of August 

How it works

Successful applicants will be given 2 days (a consecutive Thursday and Friday) of free rehearsal space in the Boiler House, culminating in a performance and opportunity for audience Q&A or similar on the successive Saturday evening. There are four slots available:

1: 6th – 8th August
2: 13th – 15th August
3: 20th – 22nd August
4: 27th – 29th August

Fee

There is no charge to apply for this opportunity. Successful applicants will have rehearsal and performance time gifted in-kind along with free marketing, technical support and ticketing, with a 50/50 split on Box Office ticket income.

The Space 

The Boiler House is a flexible black box studio space suitable for an audience of up to 70 depending on audience layout. A basic tech spec is available although successful applicants can bring their own tech equipment too if they wish. A tech spec for the Boiler House can be found here. Images of the Boiler House can be seen below.

Marketing 

Performances will be marketed by the Harrow Arts Centre on our website, social media platforms and in our seasonal brochure. Tickets will be available to book via the Harrow Arts Centre website only. However, we strongly recommend performers also contribute to marketing via their own audiences and social platforms, in which the Harrow Arts Centre can support.

Criteria

For the 2026 festival we are able to take on four companies/individuals as part of the festival, and we are looking to fill each slot with a diverse range of performances. Depending on the number of applications we receive, slots will be offered with consideration to how effectively we may be able to support your goals as a company/individual, and how you meet the following criteria:

• Work exhibiting one or more of the following artistic mediums: Drama, Dance, Immersive Theatre, Comedy, Spoken Word, Music, Visual Arts
• Work from Creative companies who have been practicing for less than 5 years
• Creative Individuals over 18 years old from any creative discipline including the examples mentioned above
• Theatre companies who have missed out on taking a show/performance to Ed Fringe, Camden Fringe, or Brighton Fringe
• UK based (we are particularly interested in hearing from artists/organisations based in or working out of the London Borough of Harrow)

How to Apply?

Please complete the application below or visit here. If you would prefer to record your responses in video format, please feel free to send this along with the mandatory contact information to participation@harrowarts.com . All applications will be reviewed by a panel made up of Harrow Art Centre staff and at least one external, impartial creative.

Deadline

Applications will close at 10pm on Wednesday 29th April 2026 and we endeavour to contact all applicants by Friday 15th May. All successful applicants will be invited to take part in a short video call to discuss your idea further. Once confirmed, acts will need to submit preliminary marketing copy and artwork to us at the start of June.

Any Questions? 

If you have any questions about the festival or the application process, please do not hesitate to email participation@harrowarts.com