Joy is a Civic Force

Tuesday 2 & Wednesday 3 February 2027

City Hall and Ferens Art Gallery, Hull

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Outdoor arts is a vital part of the country’s civic infrastructure. And the nation needs us.

When people come together to share creative experiences, they create more than memorable moments. They build trust, connection and a sense of belonging: the foundations of strong communities.

Many in the creative sector use this argument to demonstrate the value of the arts. Outdoor arts, however, has a particular strength: it creates shared experiences at scale in open public spaces for free, fostering joy, connection and belonging among a wide range of people. By working beyond institutional and financial barriers, we reach audiences who have historically been underserved by the arts. We also know how to create artistic work that makes everyone feel welcome and connected to the cultural life of the places where they live, whatever their postcode. Joy and belonging flourish when art brings people from all walks of life together, and when this happens openly in public spaces, it becomes a powerful civic force.

Join us in Hull, 10 years on from its landmark year as UK City of Culture, to explore how outdoor arts can expand its impact and strengthen its position in society.

OutdoorArtsUK looks forward to convening artists, producers, cultural leaders, placemaking strategists, funders, policymakers, and anyone curious about why art matters to thriving communities.

Delivered through the generous support of Hull Culture & Leisure, Visit Hull, Culture Hull and Arts Council England.

Become a Member of OutdoorArtsUK & Access Early Bird Tickets until October 31st

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Exclusive Hotel & Train Deals

We are pleased to be partnering with Visit Hull & East Yorkshire and Hull Trains to offer deals for travel and accommodation. You can see the hotel deals available here (please note that other accommodation is available in Hull). You will have access to a 15% discount on train tickets after purchasing your conference ticket. Find out more in the FAQs below.

We are also working with TransPennine Express on discounted travel and we hope to have this live in mid – late November.

Keynote speaker, panel talks and more programme details coming soon.

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If you would prefer to pay by invoice, please see the FAQs at the bottom of this page.

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Delegates Take Centre Stage

The beating heart of the conference is the volume and the range of delegates who attend, and the energy and the enthusiasm they bring. To make the most of this, we provide opportunities for delegates to table their voices to the wider sector through Marketplace, Open Forum or Pitching. The conference attracts 400-500 people from across the country, providing a fantastic platform for knowledge exchange. Find out more below.

Marketplace

The Marketplace provides a platform for artists and programmers to connect and discuss future activity.

Open Forum

We’re looking for Open Forum sessions that respond to the theme of the conference ‘Joy is a Civic Force’ and we are interested in practical sessions alongside talks.

Pitching

Have an idea for a new project? The pitching platform gives artists, producers and festivals a chance to find prospective partners among our conference delegates.

Networking Opportunities

Evening Drinks

Join us at the end of each conference day to make new connections and catch up with sector colleagues.

Outdoor Arts Pub Quiz

New for 2027, the Outdoor Arts Pub Quiz is for those who want more of a structured evening networking session, where you will get to know people in your team and work together as a way of expanding your network.

Networking Café

The Networking Café is a relaxed, informal space for you to catch up and deepen relationships with colleagues. We encourage you to use the delegate list to arrange meetings or simply turn up and grab a seat.

Networking Tours

Explore Hull with colleagues on the self-guided networking tours. It’s a chance to make new connections with your peers and navigate our host city for 2027.

Digital Brochure (Submissions Open)

Submit your tour-ready shows, pitches, or new ideas to our Digital Brochure ahead of the National Conference 2027. The brochure will be distributed to all delegates before the event and will remain available on our website for ongoing visibility. Browse the current brochure for inspiration before sending new work or updating your current entry. You must be an OAUK member to be included.

Deadline: Sun 17 Jan 2027

Spirit of the Conference

Creating an Inclusive and Relaxed Environment

We would like all delegates to feel comfortable. We encourage you to come and go from all of our events as and when you feel the need. Navigate the conference in the way that will allow you to make the most of your time in Hull.

Wellbeing Coordinator and Quiet Spaces

Quiet spaces with a dedicated wellbeing coordinator will be available throughout the conference for those with relevant access needs. Please let us know when you’re buying your ticket if you require access to our quiet spaces so we can prepare accordingly.

Newcomers Induction

This session is designed to be a soft landing for those attending the conference for the first time, on your own, or find meeting new people challenging. You will spend time with like-minded individuals, listen to an introduction to the sector, and learn how to best navigate the event.

Bursary Places

We have a limited number of bursary places available to OAUK members and we will hold a number of marketplace spaces for successful bursary applicants. Bursary places are prioritised for individuals who are freelance, and/or have historically faced disadvantage due to ethnicity, disability, socio-economic status and/or other protected characteristics.

Deadline: Sun 15 Nov 2026

Fund A Freelancer

The Fund a Freelancer scheme is a pay-it-forward scheme, where you can choose to contribute towards increasing the number of bursaries available when you purchase your ticket. Introducing new voices, and making sure our freelance members can attend, is paramount to the development of our sector. Please consider supporting your freelance colleagues through this scheme when you buy a ticket.

Watch the 2026 Highlights Video

The National Conference 2026: Change On Our Streets took place in Cambridge and explored the ever-shifting cultural landscape. We also launched the sector strategy Wherever You Are, Whoever You Are, the Arts Are Yours: A Strategy for Joy and Belonging for the Outdoor Arts Sector.

Access

We are committed to providing access to our 2027 conference. You can let us know your access requirements at the ticket checkout. Please give us good notice so that we can make the appropriate arrangements.

We understand that not all delegates are able to sit for the entirety of a panel discussion or keynote speech. At checkout, please let us know if you’d like an ambulant seat at the conference. This will be a seat with space around you to move and stand up. 

Captioning & BSL will be provided during all our keynote speeches and panel discussions.

Unfortunately, we won’t be able to make the conference available for delegates not able to attend in person. However, digital content of the conference will be shared after the event.

City Hall

More information about Hull City Hall's accessibility can be found here.  

Ferens Art Gallery  

More information about the Ferens Art Gallery accessibility can be found here.

If you’d like to speak with the OAUK team about access support, please contact General Manager David by email: David@outdoorartsuk.org

Sustainability

The climate crisis greatly impacts the outdoor sector and threatens the livelihood of its existence.

We understand our responsibility in minimising the negative environmental impact of the organisation’s activities, alongside the requirement to help create and communicate the resources, guidance, and best practice required to upskill our members, and the wider outdoor arts sector, to reduce the impact of their events.

We are delivering the conference in line with our environmental policy and our green code of conduct. You can find our policy here and our code of conduct here. 

Below is a list of things we’d like to make you aware of so that you can help us minimise the environmental impact of the conference.

We've continued to use our conference as a case study on how to use the OAUK DATE toolkit, you can find out more here.  

The OAUK DATE toolkit was developed by Andrew Lansley to provide businesses and organisations with a quick and effective way to profile their accessibility and sustainability practices against nationally recognised standards frameworks. Find out more here. 

If you’re planning on driving to the conference, why not car share? You can offer a lift or have a look to see who else is driving via our car share spreadsheet.

We encourage you to use public transport where possible and we are pleased to partner with Hull Trains for an exclusive discount on train tickets. Find out more in the FAQs below.

Please bring your reusable water bottles as there will be refill points at the City Hall and Ferens Art Gallery for you to use.

Please bring your reusable hot drink cups.

We will provide name badges and lanyards at the conference. We will be trialling a new scheme that allows delegates to identify themselves by the colour of their lanyard. This is optional. All lanyards will be sourced from scrap stores, and we ask that you return these so that we can re-use them next year.

To get a better understanding of the carbon impact our conference creates, we will be circulating a travel survey after the event, asking how delegates have travelled/will be travelling to the conference.

We encourage everyone to use Onboard.Earths travel calculator to understand how much carbon their journey to the Conference has generated. For those who have the means can then choose to offset through schemes on the website. When filling out the submission form, use the venue’s postcode, X, as your destination. If you do offset your carbon attending the Conference, we’d like to know! Click here to email David. Click here to access the carbon calculator.

Please bring food with you or explore the various catering options that central Hull has to offer.

Conference FAQs

Conference delegates will receive 15% off train tickets with Hull Trains. We will have two discount windows, the first window ran from 1st October to 18th October 2026. The second will be available in January 2027 for those booking closer to the conference.

You will be able to access the discount code after purchasing your conference ticket on our conference next steps page.

T&Cs

  • Discount code is only valid on Hull Trains services between 1st – 5th February 2027
  • Hull Trains services only (cannot be used on other services, i.e., LNER, Grand Central, TPE or Northern)
  • Discount can be applied to Advance Purchase tickets only
  • Available in both Standard and First classes
  • Discount code only valid when purchase is made on Hulltrains.co.uk or the Hull Trains app.

You can purchase tickets above or via our ticket tailor booking platform. Click here to book tickets.

If you’d like to pay by invoice/ BACS transfer, please contact General Manager David at david@outdoorartsuk.org.

In your email to him, please include:

  • Which tickets you’d like
  • How many tickets you’d like
  • The name the invoice should be made out to
  • The address the invoice should be made out to

Hull City Hall

Hull City Hall is in the city centre in Queen Victoria Square. The address is:

Hull City Hall
Queen Victoria Square
Carr Ln
Hull
HU1 3RQ

By Train

The City Hall is approximately a 5 minute walk from Hull Paragon train station. Upon leaving the station, head directly opposite, across the Ferensway road, and down either Carr Lane or Paragon Street. Both will take you to the front on the venue.

By Car / Parking

Albion Street Car Park is open Monday to Sunday 8am – 11pm.

Osbourne Street Multi-Storey Car Park is open 24 hrs.

Parking is also available in Princes Quay shopping centre.

By Bike

If you’re cycling here, there’s a bike park area opposite the entrance on Queen Victoria Square. Check out Travel Hull’s cycle map for routes.

Ferens Art Gallery

Ferens Art Gallery is also located in Queen Victoria Square. The address is:

Ferens Art Gallery
Queen Victoria Square
Carr Ln
Hull
HU1 3RA

By Bus

Hull bus station (Paragon Interchange) is just a 6-minute walk away.

Alternatively, the nearest bus stop is Alfred Gelder Street.

By Train

Hull train station is also situated 6-minutes walk away at Paragon Interchange.

With regular connections to York, Sheffield, Manchester and beyond.

By Car / Parking

Being in the centre of Hull, we’re easily accessible by car.

You’ll find parking nearby at Lowgate Car Park, Saville Street and Paragon Street. All within 5-minutes of the gallery.

By Bike

If you’re cycling here, there’s a bike park area opposite the entrance on Queen Victoria Square. Check out Travel Hull’s cycle map for routes.

On Day 2, we will have a luggage storage place next to the City Hall entrance. You can leave any bags there before going into the venue.

This year, we’ve partnered with Visit Hull & East Yorkshire to offer fixed rates on hotel rooms. You can see the hotels available here. Please note that other accommodation is available in Hull.

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Image Credits

Main Image: Bloom by Upswing Aerial, on Shipley Market Square, co-produced by Upswing and Bradford 2025 City of Culture, September 2025, photo: David Lindsay

Day 1 & Day 2 Image: Ghost Train by Avanti Display and Walk the Plank, commissioned by S&DR200, delivered by Darlington Borough Council, Durham County Council and Stockton Borough Council, 2025

Marketplace: Settle by CoDa Dance for Light Up Thurrock 2026, Essex, produced by Arts Outburst. ©J.Lee

Pitching: Ghost Train, S&DR200, created by Avanti Display and produced by Walk the Plank

Open Forum: Made in Hull by Zsolt Balagh for We Are Hull – Hull 2017 City of Culture

Digital Brochure: Cabasa at Tameside Winter Carnival 2022; The Hatchling by Trigger, photo Tom Moore; Holy Dirt by Vidya Thirunarayan at Ensemble Festival 2026, photo: Robert Golden; Queen of Hearts by Birdcage Stage, photo: Rob Watson; Thingumabob by Matt Pang at SO Festival, 2012, Skegness, Photo: Ashley Bird; Then What by Vince Virr Dance Company at Imaginate Family Day, National Museum of Scotland, 2025