In the wilds and winding streets of West Yorkshire, a diverse ecology of community arts and social change work is thriving and flourishing, creating and instigating. This work can sometimes be overlooked, which is where BIG UP steps in and plugs in the amp. In building networks between creatives, social change-makers and audiences, the aim is to make the voices of change too loud to ignore. BIG UP festival isn’t about barriers between preening artists and passive audiences, it’s a call for action!

THIS IS NOT JUST A ONE-OFF EVENT, BUT THE CULMINATION OF MONTHS OF MEANINGFUL DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNITY BUILDING, WITH REGENERATION, RESILIENCE AND RESURGENCE AT ITS CORE.

Social change occurs when people go above individualism, forming communities and connecting with others. With this in mind, BIG UP has commissioned the help of Community Catalysts; a crack team of artists and community activists who will infuse the festival with their ideas, art and communities.