Take part at FUSE International

Ignite your creativity. If you’re looking for a supportive and inspiring environment for your work, you’ve come to the right place.

FUSE International has been a platform for artists aged 5 – 26 for the past 14 years, and things are only becoming more ambitious every year.

The next festival will take place from 30 June – 9 July 2023.

Applications for 2023 will open on 8 November 2022 and will close on Sunday 15 January 2023.

About FUSE International

Established in 2009 by Creative Youth, the 10-day festival hosts around 150 events across venues and spaces around Kingston upon Thames every July. We provide a supportive environment for artists at every stage of their creative journey, from experienced performers to those putting on their first show. FUSE International (formerly International Youth Arts Festival) takes place every year in summer in the stunning historical location of Kingston upon Thames, in London.

Applications open every Autumn and close in January. We have a wide range of spaces available during the festival, from small cabaret spaces to large scale auditoriums so whatever scale you feel ready to work to, we’re happy to help.

How to apply

We use Eventotron – an online festival platform – for our application process. You’ll need to register an account if it is your first time using Eventotron.

Key dates in 2023
Applications: 8 November 2022
Deadline to apply: Sunday 15 January 2023
Programming decisions: March 2023
Tickets on sale: May 2023

Festival resources
Before applying through Eventotron, take a look around this page and our Festival Resources as they should tell you everything you need to know about applying to be part of the festival, and provide helpful information such as registration fees, and FAQs.

We encourage all potential applicants to think creatively with us, and we welcome all your ideas and questions. Our festival will continue to welcome the 3 categories: Indoor, Outdoor and Digital.

For 2023, we are looking to extend our fringe programme and alongside this develop Kingston’s late night cultural scene. We are really keen to hear from emerging bands, artists and stand-up comics.

Please think boldly and ‘out of the box’ to come up with as many exciting and surprising projects as possible.

If you have any questions about applying to be part of FUSE International 2023, contact our Festival Director, Petra on FUSEdirector@creativeyouthcharity.org.

Short performances (15 mins)

Every year Creative Youth (the charity behind FUSE International) produce several events that include shorter extracts of work.

In the past this has included a Gala night, outdoor music stage in Kingston marketplace, dance showcases and more and these events are all designed to showcase new young emerging talent.

If you are a musician, dance company, musician, stand-up, etc that isn’t ready to have a full show (40mins+) to themselves and have any extracts or shorter pieces that are under 15 minutes, then please DO NOT apply via Eventotron and please apply here instead.

FUSE Film applications

Applications for FUSE Film (part of FUSE International) which celebrates the work of young filmmakers, are made through FilmFreeway, rather than Eventotron.

Sharing the creative talents of young filmmakers is more important than ever before and at the heart of our festival. Across the globe there are many film festivals throughout the year, but few who have a true focus on young emerging filmmakers.

FUSE Film is here to provide an affordable platform for young filmmakers to get one of their first experiences of a film festival. There is the opportunity to showcase your films to an audience in a stunning venue in Kingston and have your films watched by an industry panel and enter our awards.

Apply here for FUSE Film