Arts Fest FAQs

Reach out to the Harvard Arts Festival Producer Alicia Anstead or Arts Fest Coordinator Marin Orlosky. 

For Performers
Who can perform in Arts Fest?
All Harvard affiliates (undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, staff and alums) may apply to perform and exhibit artwork during Arts Fest. Performing ensembles may include non-Harvard affiliates, as long as at least one performer is a Harvard affiliate. 

What kind of support is provided to performers?
We provide publicity for individual events in the Arts Fest program, the Harvard College Events Calendar, our weekly e-newsletter The Beat and on our social media. We also publicize the festival in general throughout the greater Boston area.

For live performances on campus, we provide production support to artists in the Arts Fest Performance Fair by supplying a performance venue, stage manager, ushers, chairs and music stands, and other audio equipment depending on the venue. Some venues have sound reinforcement and an on-site audio engineer, while others are limited to acoustic performances. We also provide a livestream of all performances in the Plaza Tent, as well as select performances in other venues.

For pre-recorded and livestreamed performances, we provide publicity support, logistical guidance as needed, as well as an online platform for viewing performance videos.

What is the Arts Fest Performance Fair?
The Arts Fest Performance Fair is an afternoon of simultaneous short performances by Harvard community performing artists, on a wide variety of indoor and outdoor stages near Harvard Yard. It also includes Dance Fest, a showcase of over 20 dance styles and traditions. The Performance Fair is always free and open to the public. Some of its stages are also livestreamed.

Performance Fair applications go live in October each year, for the following spring's festival.

What are the expectations for performers?
We expect clear communication about your performance needs and any potential schedule conflicts. If the details of your performance change, please email us updates promptly. On the day of the Arts Fest Performance Fair, all performers are expected to arrive at their assigned venue at least 20 minutes prior to their performance time slot.

We also expect performers to honor their commitment to performing in Arts Fest. While spring is a busy time of the academic year, we encourage applicants to carefully consider their spring schedule before submitting their Arts Fest Performance Fair application, to prevent schedule conflicts.

For pre-recorded performance showcases, we expect to receive your video link on or before the deadline for inclusion in our online gallery.

Why is there a limit on the number of performances that an individual can participate in?
Artists may perform in up to 3 Performance Fair time slots. We have created this limit in the interest of performers' wellbeing, as well as to ensure that performers with multiple Performance Fair commitments have sufficient time to travel between venues and prepare for each of their performances.

Can performers pick their location?
All Performance Fair performers will be assigned a location by the Arts Fest staff. Performers are welcome to name their preferred location, but we cannot guarantee that your preference will be met.

Can performers pick their performance time?
All Performance Fair performers will be assigned a time slot by the Arts Fest staff. Dance Fest time slots are up to 10 minutes in length, and all other Performance Fair time slots are 20 minutes long. Time slots are carefully selected to prevent schedule conflicts for performers in multiple ensembles, so be sure to list all of your performers’ other commitments in your Arts Fest application.

Something came up and my performing group needs to cancel. What should we do?
You might not need to cancel. We encourage performers to think creatively about alternate ways to perform, such as: changing a group work to a solo piece, changing the instrumentation (e.g. replacing a singer with a piano or violin soloist), bringing in a substitute performer, performing selected excerpts instead of a full work, and/or replacing the originally planned work with a different one that your group has performed successfully in the past.

If none of these options are viable and your group must cancel, please contact Marin Orlosky, Arts Fest Coordinator, as soon as possible.

Why are the application deadlines so early in the academic year?
While the Arts Fest application deadlines may seem very far in advance, there is a lot of behind-the-scenes planning necessary to coordinate everyone’s publicity and production needs. Since Arts Fest is a university-wide festival that involves more than 500 student artists and over 100 performances and exhibitions, timely communication from everyone helps our planning process move forward smoothly.

For Volunteers & Other Participants
Who can volunteer to help with Arts Fest?
Everyone 16 years of age or older can volunteer for Arts Fest, regardless of whether or not they are a Harvard affiliate. Some knowledge of Harvard’s campus is helpful. We provide training materials and a brief training session for volunteers in advance of their volunteer shift. 

What can Arts Fest volunteers expect to do?
On the day of the Arts Fest Performance Fair, volunteers may help set up or put away chairs, music stands, and signs; greet visitors and provide basic directions to performance venues; check in performers; and other tasks as needed.

In advance of the festival, volunteers may help deliver Arts Fest guides and t-shirts to various locations on the Harvard campus or organize festival materials.

What are the perks of volunteering at Arts Fest?
All volunteers receive an Arts Fest t-shirt, free snacks and the opportunity to see exciting Arts Fest performances.

Can I list my event in the Arts Fest program?
Any event taking place on the Harvard campus between officially posted Arts Fest dates can be listed in the Arts Fest print program and online festival schedule by filling out a publicity application.

Is there funding available for Arts Fest events?
Some funding is provided for selected Public Art projects in Harvard Yard. Arts Fest Performance Fair performances are directly given a free venue, publicity, and production support, instead of funding. If your event requires additional support, consider applying for a Project Grant.

Public Art 
This program is currently on pause for the 2025-26 academic year.