Allt Festival
4–7 June 2026
Forth Valley
Celebrating creativity across central Scotland
Allt Festival is a celebration of creativity across the Forth Valley region, taking place from 4-7 June 2026. Formerly known as Forth Valley Art Beat, the festival invites artists, makers, and designers to open their studio doors to the public over four days, sharing the spaces, stories, and processes behind their work.
Whether you’re an established or emerging creative, Allt Festival is an opportunity to showcase your practice, connect with new audiences, and be part of a vibrant network of creatives from across the region.
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Applications now open!
Applications are now open for artists, makers, designers and creatives wishing to participate in ALLT Festival 2026.
We welcome submissions from individuals and collectives working in all creative disciplines from painting, photography and printmaking to ceramics, textiles, sculpture, digital art, architecture, games and beyond.
Participation in the Allt Festival involves opening your studio and being present for the duration of the event. If you don’t have a ‘typical studio’ or you feel your work might not fit into this type of setting, but you are interested in taking part, please get in touch with us at [email protected] to chat about this.
Fee(s) to participate are Individuals £120, Groups £200 (max 4 creatives) and Venue £250. For the first year of Allt Festival, we are limiting the participating venues to 40 locations. If your application is successful, full payment is due by 1st February 2026. The participation fee contributes to festival marketing, printed materials, and administration.
All participating artists will receive:
- A profile on the ALLT Festival website and printed brochure
- Inclusion in the PR and social media campaign
- Invitations to the ALLT Festival briefing sessions ahead of the festival
- Invitations to Continual Professional Development Sessions on Monday 7th June (funding dependant)
How to apply
Complete the online form by 2nd December 2025. Applications received after this date cannot be considered. Successful applicants will be notified on Tuesday 16th December, with a payment link for the participation fee. All remaining applicants will be notified thereafter with alternative ways to be involved.
Applications are reviewed by the ALLT Festival team to ensure a balanced and diverse mix of disciplines, locations, and practices. Please note as this is our first Allt Festival and we are a small team. To ensure optimal administration, marketing and delivery of this new event, the festival will be limited to 40 venues. Thank you for understanding.
Preparing your application
- To apply you will need; A short artist statement, short bio and description of your practice
- Up to 5 high-quality images of your recent work (within 5 years), include title, medium and size
- Links to a website, social media or online shop
- To provide detail of where you will be showcasing your work and access information
- To provide detail of any workshops or demonstrations you would host (if applicable)
About Allt Festival
allt / n. / auLd / Gaelic
— brook, burn, stream
Allt Festival is a celebration of creativity and imagination taking place across the Forth Valley region of Central Scotland. It is the new trading name for Forth Valley Open Studios CIC and is delivered by co-producers Natalie McIlroy and Janine Matheson.
Each year, artists, makers and designers are invited to open their studios and workshops to the public. Visitors can step behind the scenes of a creative practice, watch and take part in live demonstrations, and hear makers speak about their work. The festival also offers a unique opportunity to buy artworks directly from the artists. Allt Festival is committed to showcasing a wide range of disciplines, ensuring there is something to inspire everyone.
Alongside the open studios, visitors can enjoy a programme of additional events and group exhibitions throughout the Allt Festival weekend. In 2026, the Opening Event will take place in Dunblane on the evening of 4 June, featuring a series of curated exhibitions all within easy walking distance. In the years that follow, the launch event will move to different locations across Forth Valley, celebrating the diversity and geography of the region.
Development of Allt Festival
Forth Valley Open Studios began in 2010 and later evolved into Forth Valley Art Beat (FVAB) to encompass a wider range of activity. For 12 years, it was one of the region’s largest cultural events. Directed by Avril Nicol and founded by a small group of artists, it created an annual opportunity for artists to connect with one another and with their communities.
In 2024, Avril Nicol and producer Rosy Naylor concluded their work with FVAB and the event came to a close. At the request of local makers, Natalie McIlroy—one of the Directors of Craft Central CIC in Dunblane—took over the directorship, joining forces with freelance producer and curator Janine Matheson.
Natalie received GoSeeShare funding from Creative Scotland to research other Open Studio events across Scotland and to gather further feedback from artists in the region. From May to October 2025, Natalie and Janine visited Spring Fling Open Studios, ArtWalk Porty and ArtMap Argyll.
After months of research, networking and feedback analysis, Allt Festival was launched in November 2025 as an ambitious yet thoughtful flagship event.
Thank you to everyone who has supported the past, present and future versions of this event. The Allt team looks forward to a vibrant future of creative collaboration!
Support Us
Allt Festival is produced by Janine Matheson and Natalie McIlroy, who are currently working on the event voluntarily. We do hope to receive funding, of which we will publish details here on the Allt Festival website. Until then, all support is greatly appreciated. Support could be monetary, but it could also be by spreading the word for the event in June, or approaching us for a partnership or future collaboration. Email [email protected].