Dulwich Festival

What Dulwich Festival does

Dulwich Festival is a UK-registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO, charity number 1048164) that has operated as an annual community arts festival in the Dulwich area of South London since 1993. Its core offering is a 10-day festival held each May (next edition: 8-17 May 2026) spanning music, dance, drama, comedy, literature, art, walks, talks, performance, and fairs. The festival also runs a flagship Artists' Open House programme across two weekends, in which local artists and makers open their studios and homes across eight South London postcodes (SE5, SE15, SE21, SE22, SE23, SE24, SE26, SE27), plus three street fairs (Goose Green Fair, Dulwich Park Fair, Love West Dulwich Street Fair) and Creative Communities workshops.

The organisation is volunteer-led with a small core team of approximately 10 people, overseen by a Board of Trustees (4-10 members) and an annually appointed Festival Director, Deputy Director, and Treasurer. It has no proprietary technology platform; ticketing is outsourced to Ticket Tailor under a transaction-based model, with some events free and others concession-priced. Revenue is supplemented by local sponsorships (Truepenny's, Dulwich Prep & Senior, R Woodfall Opticians, Austen Jones Solicitors, Southwark Council) and strategic partnerships with artist groups such as Herne Hill Art Fair and South London Women Artists. The audience is broadly the general public and local artists, and operations are entirely cashless, GDPR-compliant, and regionally confined to South East London.

Name

Dulwich Festival

Legal name

Dulwich Festival

Website

https://dulwichfestival.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Dulwich Festival is a volunteer-led UK Charitable Incorporated Organisation (charity number 1048164) that runs an annual 10-day arts and cultural festival each May in the Dulwich area of South London, serving local residents and visitors through ticketed events, an Artists' Open House programme, and community fairs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Arts Festival

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (711320), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts & Culture Community Festivals (Multidisciplinary Arts Weeks) (MPAGAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultural & Community Festivals (Ticketed) (THAJAFAI), Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG)

Keywords

• Community arts festival
• Cultural events programming
• Artists open studios
• Nonprofit arts organization
• Local arts programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Dulwich/South London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: The festival generates revenue through ticket sales for paid events. Tickets are sold online via Ticket Tailor third-party platform. Some events are free while others require paid admission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Dulwich Festival is a volunteer-led Charitable Incorporated Organisation that runs a 10-day annual arts and cultural festival each May in the Dulwich area of South London. The festival delivers a programmed mix of music, dance, literature, art, walks, talks, performance and fairs, complemented by the flagship Artists' Open House program in which local artists and makers open their studios to the public across multiple South London postcodes. Ticketed and free events are distributed online via a third-party ticketing platform, with sponsorship and donation income supporting the charitable operation.

Product overview

Dulwich Festival is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) operating as an annual 10-day arts and cultural festival in Dulwich, South London. The organisation offers a unified festival experience comprising multiple interconnected programs: the core Festival featuring diverse events (music, dance, literature, art, walks, talks, performance, and fairs); the Artists' Open House program showcasing local artists' studios; Fairs featuring street markets; and Creative Communities initiatives. The festival runs annually in May, with the next edition scheduled for 8-17 May 2026.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Artists' Open House: Annual programme within the Dulwich Festival where local artists open their homes and studios to visitors
• Creative Communities
• Fairs

Products and services

• Dulwich Festival (Annual Arts Festival) A 10-day annual arts and cultural festival held each May in the Dulwich area, featuring music, dance, literature, art, walks, talks, performance, and fairs for local residents and visitors.
• Artists' Open House A flagship programme within the Dulwich Festival featuring open studios where local artists and makers open their homes and workspaces to the public, showcasing ceramics, fine art, photography, sculpture, textiles, jewellery, and more.
• Fairs Street fairs and markets within the festival including the Goose Green Fair, Dulwich Park Fair, and Love West Dulwich Street Fair.
• Creative Communities Community-focused initiatives within the festival programme fostering participation and engagement through creative activities such as street art projects, write club, and children's art workshops.
• Festival Events Individual ticketed and free events within the festival programme including music (e.g., Beatles Dub Club), dance, drama, comedy (e.g., Dulwich Hamlet Comedy Club), literature, talks, walks, family activities (e.g., Family Silent Disco, Shlomo's Beatbox Adventure), and outdoor cinema.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Truepenny'sminorOthersLocal business sponsor of Dulwich Festival. Logo displayed on festival website as a sponsor.
• Dulwich Prep & SeniorminorOthersEducational institution sponsor of Dulwich Festival. Logo displayed on festival website as a sponsor.
• R Woodfall Opticians of LondonminorOthersLocal business sponsor of Dulwich Festival. Logo displayed on festival website as a sponsor.
• Austen Jones SolicitorsminorOthersLegal services firm sponsor of Dulwich Festival. Logo displayed on festival website as a sponsor.
• Southwark CouncilminorOthersLocal government sponsor of Dulwich Festival. Logo displayed on festival website as a sponsor.
• Ticket TailorcoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party ticketing platform used for online ticket sales. Handles payment processing and ticket delivery. Festival does not hold card information directly.
• Herne Hill Art FaircoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndependent artist-led fair curated by South London-based NZ artist Luana Asiata, bringing together 50+ artists. Takes part in Dulwich Festival Artists' Open House program, transforming Station Hall at Herne Hill Station into exhibition space.
• South London Women Artists (SLWA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupport and showcase group for local women artists with 95 active members, created 18 years ago. Exhibits at East Dulwich Picturehouse for Artists' Open House with annual themed shows.
• Ripe DigitalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPrint partner for Herne Hill Art Fair, providing printing services for the event.
• Daler RowneyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerArt supplies company providing generous art prizes for Herne Hill Art Fair.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Greenwich + Docklands International Festival: Free outdoor performing arts festival in another London borough. Comparable as a London-based multi-day arts festival with community programming and ticketed/free mix, though focused on outdoor performance rather than open studios.

Broad incumbents

• Edinburgh Festival Fringe: The world's largest arts festival, featuring thousands of performers across multiple venues. Comparable in multidisciplinary arts programming and ticketed/free mix, but vastly larger in scale, audience, and commercial activity.
• Brighton Festival: Larger UK multi-arts festival with music, dance, theatre, literature, and outdoor events. Comparable in programming breadth but operates at a significantly larger scale and budget as an established UK arts brand.
• Southbank Centre: Major London performing arts centre hosting year-round festivals, concerts, and literature events. Comparable in arts programming focus but operates as a permanent venue with institutional funding rather than a volunteer-led annual festival.

Direct peers

• Camberwell Arts Week: Nearby South London community arts festival featuring open studios and a multi-venue programme. Directly comparable as a free/affordable local visual arts and open-house event serving an adjacent SE London postcode set with a similar volunteer-run model.
• Mayfest (Bristol): Multi-venue community arts festival with theatre, dance, music, and visual arts in a UK city. Comparable as a multi-venue, multi-genre arts week operating on similar timing and scale to Dulwich Festival.
• Open House London: Annual city-wide festival opening buildings and studios to the public. Comparable specifically for the Artists' Open House concept — opening private creative spaces to visitors on a scheduled, ticketed/free weekend model.
• Wandsworth Arts Fringe: London-wide fringe festival with open studios, theatre, music, and family events across multiple venues. Comparable as a community-led, multi-venue arts festival operating on a similar volunteer/partnership model.
• Lambeth Country Show: Free annual community festival in neighbouring Lambeth featuring music, arts, and food. Directly comparable as a South London council-supported community festival with similar audience and family programming.
• Peckham Festival: Annual multi-day South London community arts and culture festival with open studios, music, and street programming. Closely comparable in scope, audience (south-east London residents), and free/affordable ticketed mix.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dulwichfestival
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCRBzhmOrDoPJ957sNxYyRRA
• Facebookfacebook.com/dulwichfestival
• Instagraminstagram.com/dulwichfestival
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dulwich-festival

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dulwich Festival