How Do You Get an Event Into the Artown Festival?

Published January 23, 2025

How Do You Get an Event Into the Artown Festival?

Great question! We recently opened the 2026 Artown Presenter Portal, the online platform where individuals and organizations (known as Presenters) can register and submit event details for inclusion in the July festival.
Through the Presenter Portal, you can upload your event information, photos, a press release with additional specifics, and both a short and long description of your presentation. Registering an event for Artown has always been free—we have never charged anyone to be part of the festival and never will.

 

The Presenter Portal is open now, and the deadline to submit an event for the 2026 summer festival is March 31, 2026.
 

What Does Artown Provide?

Artown offers a comprehensive marketing package for nonprofit organizations and small businesses to help showcase unique arts events throughout July. Every approved event receives marketing support, and Presenters must take full advantage of this package in combination with their own promotional efforts.

Once your event is submitted and approved, you will receive the following marketing assets:

• An event listing in the Little Book, with a total of 55,000 copies printed (50,000 in English and 5,000 in Spanish). The Little Book is widely distributed throughout the community and serves as a convenient, go‑to guide for Artown attendees. If you include a strong photo with your submission, it may also be featured in the Little Book.
   
• A dedicated event web page on artown.org, optimized for both desktop and mobile users. This page will include all your event details and be part of the Artown website, which serves as a user‑friendly, all‑inclusive source for everything happening during the July festival.
   
• A listing on Artown’s social media channels under “This Week at Artown.”

If you upload a press release within the Presenter Portal that includes the approved Artown partner paragraph, a link to your release will appear on your event page in the Artown website’s media section. This allows anyone—including local media outlets—to access and potentially further promote your event.
 

Important Guidelines for Presenters

Every event submitted must be unique to Artown and not something that has been recently produced or held outside of July. While Artown is not a funder, we do raise money on behalf of all events entered through the portal. These funds support the management and operation of the Presenter Portal as well as the comprehensive marketing provided for all Artown events.

The portal does time out, so it’s important to have your information prepared before you begin. You can save your work after each section and return later to complete your submission.

Please be sure to proofread and double‑check your information, as what you enter will appear exactly as written in the Little Book and on the Artown website. Also note that, since it is the name of the festival itself, the word “Artown” may not appear in your event title.

Artown Staff Is Here to Help

Artown staff are always available to answer questions and help you maximize both your event and its reach. Our goal is to increase attendance at every event, introduce as many people as possible to Northern Nevada’s extraordinary artists and arts scene, and encourage Presenters to strengthen their community presence—creating new audiences and opportunities that benefit them well beyond the month of July.

A brief guide to producing an Artown event, the Presenter Handbook, is available by clicking the Presenter Portal slide at artown.org.

You are also welcome to contact the Artown office directly at 775‑322‑1538, or by email at presenter@artown.org or office@artown.org if you have questions or need assistance. We want your event to be a success and are happy to help in any way we can.

Why Artown Matters

Artown is truly unique in the universe of festivals—a 31‑day, multidisciplinary celebration of the arts in our community, featuring music, dance, theater, visual arts, workshops, and events for young people. Many of these experiences are offered at no cost, making the arts accessible to all.

Together, we can make this the very best festival possible—for our community, our audiences, and our many talented and creative artists.

Best of luck, and we’ll see you in July!

Beth Macmillan is the Executive Director of Artown, one of the largest arts and culture festivals in the western United States, offering over 500 events with a wide range of artistic disciplines, including music, dance, theater, visual arts, literature, and more.

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