Up Here 12
Wake Up Now.
REST, RENEW, RESIST.
Up Here 12’s theme invites us to unplug from what is keeping us dormant and harness the power of a fresh perspective. Wake up!
Wake up and smell the revolution.
If rest is a necessary defragging, maybe it’s time for a hard reboot. Get up and build the world of your dreams.
The theme is meant to serve as a loose inspiration for artists submitting mural and installation projects. Take it literally, figuratively, or ignore it completely. It’s directional, not dictatorial—a concept to explore, reimagine, and shape artistic choices while leaving room for spontaneity and discovery.
“I’m always thinking about creating. My future starts when I wake up every morning… Every day I find something creative to do with my life.”
— Miles Davis
Eye, M.C. Escher (1946)
Up Here festival, a laboratory of possibilities.
Up Here is a multi-venue music and urban art festival with a focus on exciting and provocative emerging artists. We are dedicated to the presentation of underrepresented genres and to the curation of pieces of contemporary public art. We are looking for musical projects, muralists, and immersive installation artists to help shape the festival experience.
Up Here stands in solidarity with the Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island. We encourage all our settler friends to join us in the continuous learning, adapting, sharing, supporting, and fighting required to end systemic racism in this country and move toward true reconciliation.
Up Here takes place on the traditional lands of the Atikameksheng Anishnawbek in N'Swakamok, also known as Sudbury, which includes the traditional lands of the Wahnapitae First Nation. We pay tribute to all First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples who are the caretakers of the past, present, and future of this land.
Submit before 11:59 p.m. EST on Wednesday, February 18, 2026.
All submissions are reviewed based on artistic discipline by the Up Here Programming Committees. The evaluation process is based on artistic merit, the timing of latest releases, the pertinence of the project with this year's theme (less relevant for musical projects), and pairing with other artists in the lineup. Submissions can be submitted in English or in French.
We receive over 500 artist submissions every year. All submissions will be reviewed thoroughly, but due to the high volume of submissions, only successful applicants will be contacted.
“The greatest mistake of the movement has been trying to organize a sleeping people around specific goals. You have to wake the people up first, then you’ll get action”
— Malcolm X
Inspiring and Interesting Videos
Rest as Resistance with Tricia Hersey
Gil Scott-Heron’s 1971 release “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.”
‘Snap out of it’ scene from the 1987 movie “Moonstruck”.
Rage Against the Machine’s 1992 release “Wake Up.”
‘Wake up Bob’ scene from the 1991 comedy, “What About Bob”.
Wake Up!
About Circadian Rhythms
Defrag running in MS-DOS 6.22
Brilliant Podcast Episodes
Wake Up and Smell the Roses - The Happy Botanist
Media Finally Call Trump Racist - Sandy and Nora Talk Politics
Revolutionology (Rebellions & Social Change) - Ologies with Ali Ward and Special Guest, Dr. Jack Goldston
“There are things around, and I know where they can be got quite easily, but I quite like waking up in the sunshine.”
—Terry Pratchett
Enlightening Links
Circadian Rhythm - What is it, how does it work, and more…
Reclaiming the Word “Woke as Part of African American Culture - NAACP Resolution
Dreaming as Cognitive Defragmentation: Exploring the Neural Reorganization Process During Sleep - an all too brief brief across the dreamscape
The Awakening - A Poem by James Weldon Johnson
Wake up and smell the roses: hotels with gorgeous gardens - go googoo for greener getaways in Ireland and the UK
The Meaning Behind “Wake Me Up When September Ends” by Green Day - The American Songwriter
“Waking up is the hardest thing I do all day”: Sleep inertia and sleep drunkenness - National Library of Medicine: National Center for Biotechnology Information
Transforming spaces with wonder.
Here are potential spaces for art installations.
Up Here transforms unique venues and temporary urban spaces into immersive artistic experiences.
We collaborate with installation artists to find compelling settings that showcase their work in unexpected ways. While not a requirement, we encourage artists to consider how their projects can interact with and enhance the festival’s existing spaces and infrastructure.
Stunning immersive stage installation by Kristina Rolander at the Townehouse Tavern, Up Here 4, 2018.
The Festival Stages
We love having visual artists to turn our stages into immersive experiences for both artists and festival-goers. Our festival stages are more than performance spaces—they’re canvases ready to be transformed.
We invite artists to reimagine these spaces as immersive environments, enhancing the experience for both performers and spectators.
Porta-Potty-Portal-Party installation by Studio Nude Beach, presented in Le Crac, Up Here 9, 2023.
Le Crac
Tucked between two buildings on Durham Street, Le Crac is a hidden gem of the festival—an ever-evolving space where discovery and surprise collide. Over the years, festival-goers have entered through a secret porta-potty portal, stepping into an intimate alleyway that shapeshifts into a pop-up bar, a DJ haven, a hub for artists and industry insiders. A cornerstone of Up Here’s immersive magic, Le Crac is a space for unexpected encounters and creative reinvention.
Artists are invited to submit projects that push the boundaries of this unique setting, turning its narrow walls into an experience that captivates and delights.
The Dome before a festival pop-up show.
The Dome
Up Here’s signature geodesic dome is a central piece of the festival experience. A freestanding 35-foot tall structure, the Dome is used as a venue to present pop-up shows, dance parties and all-around good times.
Since 2016, it has been used as a canvas for digital projections, for hung installations and for some of the festival’s most memorable musical performances.
Artists are invited to consult the Dome Construction Manual and submit projects that can be installed in the Dome.
Shipping container on Durham Street, part of Up Here Square.
The Shipping Container
This large metal 20 ft rectangle sits on Durham Street during the event. It’s a party in a box that acts as storage for the festival throughout the year and is moved to the street during the festival setup. The standard container is 20 ft long by 8 ft wide by 8 ft 6 in tall.
Artists are invited to submit projects that play with and integrate the container.