2026 Low-Sensory Project Call for Submissions

Founded in 2008, Nocturne: Art at Night Festival (Nocturne) is a free, independent, contemporary art festival in Kjipuktuk (Halifax). Annually, Nocturne brings 65,000+ people to the streets of Halifax and Punamu'kwati'jk (Dartmouth) to experience art and celebrate the visual arts scene in unceded Mi'kma'ki territory (Nova Scotia).

Nocturne will take place from October 15-18, 2026, including various performances, workshops, artist talks/panels and opportunities for artists to connect. The signature night-time art experience takes place on Saturday, October 17th.

A detailed festival schedule will be available closer to the festival dates.

• Artists working in any discipline are encouraged to apply. Nocturne accepts proposals from local, regional, national and international artists.

• Artists do not need to directly experience sensory sensitivities in order to apply for this call. We encourage applicants to familiarize themselves with low-sensory accessibility.

• The project should incorporate Sensory-Friendly and Accessible elements and respond to the Public Gardens.

• Low-Sensory Project: One Low-Sensory project is selected each year.

• Beacon Projects: The number of Beacon projects selected varies each year, based on the current programming budget, but is usually between 10-15 projects.

Our inaugural Low-Sensory Project took place in October 2024 with Quilted Canopies by Toronto-based artists Shayla Bond and Anne Kobayashi, at the Halifax Public Gardens. The 2025 Low-Sensory project, Listening Ground by Roberto Santaguida took place at Point Pleasant Park.

Similar projects include Collect/ive Grief, Collect/ive Joy (2023) by Corrie Peters, and QUIET PARADE (2022) by Aislinn Thomas et al.

Artists can include in their application if they are interested in offering an artist talk or workshop, but it is not mandatory or guaranteed. If selected, additional CARFAC fees will be allocated for these activities. Please include these additional fees in your budget template.

Project Costs: Nocturne provides funding for various costs associated with the creation and execution of your project. Artists are encouraged to consider various costs in their budget and should use the budget template provided. Project costs may include things like:

• Materials associated with the project

• Rental needs personnel costs (hiring a technician, assistant, performers, etc.)

• Travel and accommodations (if necessary)
  • Artists are also encouraged to apply to Canada Council's Travel funding

• Other necessary costs associated with the project

Artist Fees: Every artist participating in the creation and presentation of your project may receive an artist fee based on 2026 CARFAC rates. The MINIMUM artist fee is $600, but may be adjusted based on the type of project, and or the number of artists/collaborators. Please provide details about the artist fees you have adjusted.

• Please see Category 1 amounts for reference:

  • A.1.5.3 Performance in a festival, conference, or event not part of an exhibition

  • A.1.6 • Exhibitions in Other Public Places

• OR, The CARFAC 2026 Public Art Fee Schedule

• An additional mandatory Artist Fee of $25 for Electronic newsletters, press releases, and blogs has also been included in the budget.

Artist Care:
Things like child care can often be barriers for artists to participate in our programs. There may also be other forms of assistance outside of the other budget categories that would be supportive to you as an artist. You may request up to $300 to cover additional artist care costs for your project (please see budget template)

Accessibility:
We invite applicants to consider accessibility in their project budget. You may request up to $300 to cover additional accessibility costs for your project (please see budget template)

Examples of eligible costs in this category might include things like:

• sign language interpretation

• personal care attendant or support worker

• a transcriber or specialized editor

• personal project coordinator or assistant

• a guide or visual describer

• converting material into accessible formats

• rental of specialized equipment needed for personal access or support

• additional signage to make public engagement more accessible/inclusive

Nocturne doesn't have a set budget for projects. However, the below graph provides information about the range of budgets (inclusive of all project costs) for successful projects that took place from 2021-2025:

• Calls for Submission: We are also currently accepting applications to our Main (Beacon) Call for Submissions until March 10th. Artists are permitted to submit one application to each call that they are eligible for.

• Community Group and Galleries Call for Submission: Nocturne works with local Community Groups and Galleries each year for the festival. This call will be open in Spring 2026.

• Partnerships: Nocturne has broad relationships with various members of the community – artists, community partners, and sponsors – who come from a broad spectrum of sectors and perspectives, but the one thing that they have in common is their support for the arts and the Nocturne Festival to help sustain community, support artists, and create a vibrant HRM. If you are interested in partnering with Nocturne, we would love to hear from you at [email protected].

• Volunteer: Nocturne is run primarily by volunteers and would not be possible without your dedication. One of the best ways to support the festival is to come out and lend a hand! Our call for volunteers for 2026 will be made available closer to the festival dates.

• Venues: Nocturne is always seeking new and unique venues for projects. If you have a space and would like to host a project, please get in touch with us at [email protected].

• Juror Pool: Nocturne is looking for artists and curators at all career levels to participate in our jury process through the creation of a Juror Pool. Juries play an important role in selecting the artists and curators we work with each year. You can learn more and apply for our juror pool here. There is no deadline to apply - we will accept applications on a rolling basis and invite jurors as opportunities arise.

All selected projects will be insured under our Commercial General Liability coverage and therefore subject to review for safety and liability concerns. Nocturne will work with artists to mitigate risks and provide any formal documentation required.

All application forms must be received by Tuesday, March 10th, 2026, 11:59 PM (ADT)

No. artists can only submit one proposal to our Beacon and Low Sensory Calls for submission.

Artists can submit proposals to both the Low Sensory and Beacon Calls.

1. Staff will do an initial review of all proposals and flag anything that does not align with our festival priorities or our initial safety review or does not follow our application criteria.
2. All applications will be sent to the Nocturne Jury which is composed of local artists, arts and culture workers, and community members.
3. The Nocturne Jury reviews the applications and makes recommendations based on the following criteria:

A note about the Festival Curator:
The Curator selects the festival’s theme and is responsible for the Anchor projects. The Curator is also a member of the jury for the Beacon and Low-Sensory projects, but they are not solely responsible for which of these projects are selected.

• January 16 : Call for submissions opens
• January 28: Applicant Info session (hosted virtually)
• February 28: Application Open Studio (in-person)
• March 10: Call for submissions closes.
• Early May: Successful applicants contacted
• August 1: Marketing materials due
• October 15-18: Nocturne 2026
• December 31: Deadline for final reports from artists

Applicants will be informed of any adjustments to the timeline.

Nocturne is supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, Arts NS, HRM, and local community partners. Learn more about our festival partners and sponsors here.

• Artists should consider the various weather conditions that might be a factor.

• Take a look at examples of previous Nocturne projects from our archive.

• Work offline first and then move all your information to the Google form.

• Nocturne hosted an info session on Wednesday, January 28th, 2026 for via Zoom to help applicants prepare for their applications.

  • The info session has been recorded and can be viewed here.

  • A link to the slideshow presentation can be found here.

We are happy to answer any questions you may have and to accommodate applicants facing barriers to completing an online application or any part of our application process.

Please note, for accessibility purposes, Nocturne will also accept proposals via phone, video, or audio file as needed by the applicant. Please get in touch via email at [email protected] to arrange this submission type. This process will take approximately one hour, and it will include a recorded interview that takes place between an organizer or committee member and the applicant to go through each section of the application together. The conversation will be recorded and shared with the jury via video or transcription.

Signy Holm (she/her)
Programming Coordinator
[email protected]

Melany Nugent-Noble (she/her)
Executive Director
[email protected]

Annalise Prodor (she/her)
Festival Curator
[email protected]

At the end of each festival season, we ask participating artists what advice they would give other artists applying to Nocturne. Here’s what past Nocturne artists had to share:

• “Consider pursuing an idea that is deeply meaningful to you”.

• “Get everything in on time! That seems silly to emphasize, but the sooner you can work out the kinks in your idea and submit things, the better---and to also not listen if your brain tells you you can't do it. Imposter syndrome is a very common thing for folks, but the effect of Nocturne and interacting with people having a fun time will far outweigh your worries or concerns---you'll have a great time!!”

• “GO FOR IT! Your dreams can come true! No idea is too big or too small. People will come, and people WILL jump in to whatever it is that you intend. They really go hard”.

• “Be prepared with your own install equipment and to project manage from start to finish”

• “Discuss your project openly with the festival staff and they will help”

• “Communicate with the site volunteers and take breaks!”

• “Keep the project as simple as possible, which will keep costs down and make set-up and dismantling easier. Pay special attention to the theme of the event and how the project relates to it”.

• “It would have saved me some trouble to have a specific location lined up already, though everything worked out well in the end”.

• “Be sure of your idea, and have a plan. Things will not always go according to plan but the end result is always fulfilling and worth it”.

• “Reach out to festival organizers to clarify any questions regarding your project ideas to ensure what you are proposing has an equitable budget for yourself and for the festival. Both are deserving of equitable budgets”.

• “If you are doing anything involving research, start early - this requires a lot of work. Anything that requires reaching out to specialists for the purposes of research is going to take several months, so give yourself a lot of wiggle room - and if you have doubts about whether you'll be able to start early, carefully consider the feasibility of that when you put together your budget. Building on this - if you have a site-specific proposal, and you haven't secured a site at the outset of the project, keep in mind that the project might change a lot depending on what site you end up with! This can also cause a bottleneck of work near the end of the project timeline if for some reason you end up only getting your site secured closer to the festival.”

• “Opportunities to interact with the project are very popular.”

• “PLAN, make sure if you're coming from outside of Halifax that you have Halifax based artists that can help introduce you to the city! it was really helpful having a friend integrate me into the scene and show me around”

• “I think finding the perfect location for your project is one of the most important aspects for its success. I would advise my future me to propose a site-specific installation project for this festival.”

• “Designate some wiggle room in your budget for unexpected expenses.”

• “Focus on building supportive connections and collaborating with fellow artists and local organizations. Cultivate these relationships early, engage with mentors who can offer valuable guidance. Plan your project well in advance by setting clear goals, budgeting effectively, and regularly checking in on your progress with meetings. Stay open-minded throughout the process—embrace new ideas, seek feedback, and participate in workshops to expand your skills. Most importantly, remember that Nocturne is all about creativity and creation. So make sure you are having fun!”

• “Be more realistic with your budgets.”

• “Pack snacks, extra water and just enjoy.”

• “Be as thorough as possible in planning and leave room for evolution with your ideas and budget. Think about how to have the biggest visual+ impact with the simplest approach. Have as many commitments from involved parties before completing the application as possible. Get lots of feedback from your peers if you can.”

• “I would say that it's important to not have too big of a budget.”

• “Go for it. You don’t know unless you try. Take chances, follow your passion. Also, I think being true to the theme of the festival is very important. So ensure you give that a lot of thought that what you were submitting matches what the organizers are trying to achieve.”

• “[We] crafted our proposal by challenging our concept with numerous “what if” questions, ensuring it was practical and achievable, not just a conceptual idea. We believe that submitting a proposal that’s as technical as it is artistic is essential—it helps judges see that your idea is truly feasible. We approached it much like a business would when applying for a grant or loan, recognizing that these grants are an investment in ideas they want to see succeed beyond just their aesthetic value. Our goal was to minimize the "work" for the judges by preemptively addressing potential questions and providing clear solutions. While we can’t be certain this approach was the "correct" one, being as specific and concrete as possible certainly felt like it couldn't hurt! :)”

• “I would say location and concept of the work is critical.”

• “Despite best efforts, things will likely take longer and cost more than you budgeted for. Make and try to stick to your production plan (look up Gantt chart if not familiar with them) - review & update as needed. The list of to-do's often gets longer as you get deeper into it, and it helps to have a checklist so you can adjust your schedule and budget.”

• “Secure your own site before/during application process, prepare all requested promo in advance, do as much as possible in advance, make a timeline, set reminders, leave grace period for time and budget, hire help, budget for help, make your own arrangements for everything, talk to artists who previously exhibited, plan a significant rest after takedown tasks, plan ahead to document your project”

• “Pitch hard! Don't soften the pitch.”

• “Go even bolder! I would have loved to have attempted something even more challenging and more interactive.”

• “I think I might tell me and other artists who apply to be persistent. Each round of applications is different from the last, the theme changes, and the jury changes. If you're confident in your idea/project just keep trying.”

• “Advocate for your work and your name”

• “Be very clear about costs! My first time doing Nocturne as an independent artist (many years ago), I undervalued nearly everything and was well out of pocket for the project, thinking that it would be better to appear as "cheap" as possible.”

• “Definitely make use of all resources the festival offers to support the artists and plan ahead so you can have flexibility during the festival,”

• “Applying for a project grant for additional funding alongside the Nocturne funding would have been great. I wish I would have sought that out. I also wish I was organized enough to know what I needed for help, and then maybe it wouldn't have taken me so long to install. I'm really glad I came 5 days early though and I'm also glad I built the piece at home first and shipped it rather than try to get it all printed and cut there. That planning helped me in the long run.”

• “Be aware of other grant application deadlines and their timing with respect to Nocturne. If you're out of province consider all the ways you can plan your work before actually arriving there”

• “To research travel costs a bit more and book hotels a lot earlier.”

• “Learn how to ask for accommodations. Have self-awareness around what your needs are for your project. Connect and talk with other Nocturne and past participants to get a sense of their experience.”

• “Consider the audience as part of your project!”

• Sensory Friendly Solutions

• Why Access is Love and There is No Such Thing as “Barrier-Free” by Aislinn Thomas

• Bodies in Translation

• Connectability - Four Patterns of Sensory Processing

• Tangled Arts Accessibility Toolkit