Art Night
Art Night is a UK-registered charity that runs a biennial contemporary art festival presenting free, unticketed artist commissions in public and civic spaces across rotating UK cities. It serves general audiences, commissioned artists, and partner cultural institutions, funded primarily by grants and philanthropic support.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Art Night does
Art Night is a UK-registered charity (ArtCity Nights, charity number 1164449) that operates a biennial contemporary art festival presenting ambitious new commissions by artists at pivotal stages of their careers. Inaugurated in London in July 2016 and inspired by Paris's Nuit Blanche, the festival originally ran as a single-night event across London boroughs (Whitechapel/East End in 2017, Thames South Bank in 2018, Walthamstow/King's Cross with the London Borough of Culture in 2019) before restructuring in 2021 into a national, biennial model taking place in towns, villages and cities across the UK. In 2023 the organization delivered its first full iteration outside London, staging ten major commissions in Dundee, and in October 2023 co-launched the Flamm festival in Cornwall with Creative Kernow and Counterpoints Arts.
The organization's core products are the Art Night Festival itself, individual artist commissions (live events, installations, sound, performance, film), the Flamm festival sub-brand, community engagement programs delivered with local partners such as Creative Dundee, and a Mailchimp email newsletter. There is no proprietary technology platform — Art Night is an arts programming organization, not a technology product company. All events are free and unticketed, distributed through public and civic spaces, partner museums and galleries (e.g., V&A Dundee, Dundee Contemporary Arts, Cooper Gallery DJCAD), and minor service partnerships such as Dundee Cycle Hub for guided tours.
The business model is that of a UK nonprofit arts charity. Revenue is not publicly disclosed and is sourced from a mix of public and philanthropic grants and partnerships — including Creative Scotland, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Event Scotland, the Henry Moore Foundation, Art Fund, The Elephant Trust, and various host-venue partners — rather than ticket or commission income. Audience access is entirely free by design, positioning the organization as a publicly funded cultural platform serving general audiences, commissioning artists, and partnering with cultural institutions. The organization employs roughly 9–10 core staff led by Artistic Director Helen Nisbet and Executive Director & Co-Founder Philippine Nguyen, with a separate Scottish CIC (Art Night Dundee CIC, SC799802) established to support the Dundee edition.
Art Night firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Art Night
- Legal name
- ArtCity Nights
- Website
- https://artnight.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Art Night is a UK-registered charity that runs a biennial contemporary art festival presenting free, unticketed artist commissions in public and civic spaces across rotating UK cities. It serves general audiences, commissioned artists, and partner cultural institutions, funded primarily by grants and philanthropic support.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Art Night industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Contemporary Art Festival
- NAICS
- Performing Arts Companies (7111), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Arts & Culture Community Festivals (Multidisciplinary Arts Weeks) (MPAGAEAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC), Virtual Community Festivals & Cultural Events (Online Celebrations) (MPAGAOAK)
Keywords
Where Art Night is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Art Night business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Festival Operations: Art Night is registered as a charitable organization (ArtCity Nights, registered charity number 1164449) and operates as a non-profit. Revenue appears to come primarily from grants, public funding, and partnerships rather than ticket sales, as all events are free and unticketed.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free public access to all festival events |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Art Night product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Art Night is a biennial contemporary art festival that commissions ambitious new work by artists at pivotal moments in their careers and presents it in free, unticketed public and civic spaces. The festival partners with cultural institutions, museums, and local organizations across UK cities to deliver major commissions, live events, installations, performance, and film programming.
Product overview
Art Night is a contemporary art festival organization that operates primarily as a biennial event series. The core product is the Art Night Festival, presenting ambitious new commissions by artists in public and civic spaces free of charge. The organization has expanded nationally, with the main festival having taken place in London (2016-2019), nationally across the UK (2021), and in Dundee (2023). A related sub-brand, the Flamm Festival in Cornwall, represents a partnership initiative. The organization also offers artist commissions, community engagement programs through partnerships with organizations like Creative Dundee, and email newsletters for audience communication.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Art Night Festival A biennial contemporary art festival presenting ambitious new work by artists at pivotal moments in their career in public spaces and civic buildings, free and open to everyone.
- Flamm Festival A major new visual arts festival partnership between Creative Kernow and Art Night, bringing internationally and nationally important contemporary art to Cornwall and providing a platform for Cornwall-based artists.
- Artist Commissions Major new commissions by internationally significant and more emergent artists, comprising ambitious live events, installations, sound, performance and film presented across multiple locations for each festival edition.
- Community Engagement Programmes Partnerships with local organizations and community groups, including Creative Dundee collaborations such as 'Taking Space' and 'Making Space' conversations exploring how artists and communities creatively use and reimagine space.
Quantifiable outcome
- 10 major commissions per edition
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Art Night
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Art Night technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Art Night partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Counterpoints ArtscoreNational arts organization partnering on Flamm festival Cornwall, including projects in Platforma 7 programme on migration and displacement.
- 71 BrewingminorLocal craft brewery partner providing drinks reception for Heather Phillipson's Dream Land exhibition opening at Cooper Gallery.
- Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA)coreLead creative partner for Art Night Dundee 2023. DCA hosted exhibitions and served as the primary venue partner for the festival's first edition outside London.
- Art FundcoreNational partner and co-commissioner of works including Heather Phillipson's Dream Land. Part of Art Fund's Wild Escape programme.
- V&A DundeecorePartner venue hosting Lucy McKenzie's exhibition in Charles Rennie Mackintosh's Oak Room and Nabihah Iqbal's performance at Tatha Bar.
- Creative DundeecoreLocal partner collaborating on community programming including Making Space and Taking Space conversations about creative spaces.
- NEoN Digital ArtscoreLocal partner co-commissioning Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley's interactive video game installation.
- Cooper Gallery, DJCADcorePartner venue hosting Heather Phillipson's Dream Land exhibition and co-commissioning Mourning Ritual live event.
- GENERATORprojectscoreDundee's longest-established artist-run initiative, hosting Inefficient Solutions' participatory installation.
- Dundee City CouncilcoreLocal government partner supporting the festival's presence in Dundee.
- Hospitalfield, ArbroathcoreRegional partner hosting Emma Hart's BIG UP sculptures and co-commissioning the work.
- The Tetley, LeedscoreNational partner co-commissioning Richy Carey's {stereo-type-music} for Dundee and subsequent presentation in Leeds.
- Creative KernowcoreNational partner for the Flamm festival partnership bringing Art Night's model to Cornwall in October 2023.
- Serpentine GalleriescoreNational partner co-commissioning Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley's work for Art Night.
- ArtReviewcoreExclusive media partner for the 2021 festival, providing editorial coverage and audience reach.
- Dundee Cycle HubminorLocal partner providing guided cycling tours of Art Night Dundee venues using their rental bike fleet.
- Museum of LondoncorePartner for Tai Shani's performance commission at Fabric nightclub, precursor to Art Night's national expansion.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Art Night competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Hay Festival: A major UK arts and literature festival with a national footprint and free/accessible programming elements. Comparable in operating a UK-wide cultural festival model with multiple regional editions.
- Tate: The UK's principal national collection of modern and contemporary art, with a nationwide programming reach. Comparable in terms of commissioning scale and public audience engagement with contemporary art.
- Serpentine Galleries: A leading London contemporary art institution that is also an active Art Night national partner and co-commissioner. Comparable as a major contemporary art commissioning body in the UK.
Direct peers
- Edinburgh Art Festival: The UK's largest annual visual arts festival, presenting contemporary art across galleries and public spaces in Edinburgh. Directly comparable to Art Night as a UK contemporary art festival delivering commissions and free public programming.
- Liverpool Biennial: The UK's largest biennial contemporary art festival, presenting new commissions across public spaces and institutions in Liverpool. Closely comparable biennial cadence, commissioning model, and free public access.
- Manchester International Festival: A biennial festival of original new work spanning music, art, theatre, and dance across Manchester. Comparable as a major UK biennial commissioning ambitious new artistic work in civic spaces.
- Brighton Festival: England's largest annual multi-arts festival. Comparable as a UK-wide recognised contemporary arts festival presenting commissions and performances in public spaces, though with annual rather than biennial cadence.
- Nuit Blanche Paris: The Paris all-night contemporary art festival that directly inspired Art Night's inaugural 2016 edition. Closely comparable format — a free, unticketed, public-space contemporary art festival.
- Folkestone Triennial: A contemporary art triennial presenting major new commissions in public spaces across Folkestone. Shares Art Night's model of free, public-space commissioning and town/city-level activation beyond major metropolitan centres.
Regional players
- Creative Kernow: Cornwall's creative industry development agency and Art Night's partner for the Flamm festival in Cornwall. Comparable as a regional arts organisation delivering visual-arts programming in non-metropolitan UK geographies.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Art Night social profiles
Digital presenceArt Night financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Art Night leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Art Night funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Art Night M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Art Night
What does Art Night do?
Art Night is a biennial contemporary art festival that commissions ambitious new work by artists at pivotal moments in their careers and presents it in free, unticketed public and civic spaces. The festival partners with cultural institutions, museums, and local organizations across UK cities to deliver major commissions, live events, installations, performance, and film programming.
Is Art Night a public or private company?
Art Night is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Art Night founded?
Art Night was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Art Night based?
Art Night is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Art Night make money?
One revenue line is on record: festival Operations.
Who are Art Night's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Hay Festival, Tate and Serpentine Galleries. Direct peers are Edinburgh Art Festival, Liverpool Biennial, Manchester International Festival, Brighton Festival, Nuit Blanche Paris and Folkestone Triennial. Creative Kernow is listed as a regional player.
Does Art Night have an API?
No public API is recorded for Art Night.
What industry is Art Night in?
Art Night's product category is Contemporary Art Festival. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGAEAG, Arts & Culture Community Festivals (Multidisciplinary Arts Weeks), with a secondary code of BPAGAHAC, Arts Education & Community Arts Programs. Its NAICS code is 7111 and its SIC code is 7900.