O+ Festival Kingston

October 11-13, 2024

Music submissions for the 14th Annual O+ Festival are now open!

Applications Open March 4th, 2024
All submissions due by April 28th, 2024 at 11:59p.m.

        The O+ Festival is a 3-day celebration of art, music and wellness that offers access to health care for its participating artists and musicians while providing the community with an opportunity to experience the healing and transformative power of art in all forms. O+ (pronounced Oh Positive) fosters physical, mental and social well-being by connecting visual artists and musicians directly with a coalition of healthcare/wellness providers and resources in a shared vision to nurture the individual and the community. By exchanging the art of medicine for the medicine of art, O+ empowers communities to take control of their collective wellbeing.

O+ Festival Kingston is now accepting submissions from musicians of all mediums and genres: bands, solo artists, DJs, soundscapes, ensembles and choirs to marching bands. Performances take place in traditional and non traditional venues both indoors and outdoors throughout Kingston. We encourage music submissions that are unconventional, mobile or unplugged as well as those that prefer a typical staged production. ALL genres and forms of music or sound pieces are welcome. Please note, we do not generally book cover bands unless the material is presented with an unexpected/innovative twist or with very original arrangements. 

If your submission includes music as part of what is moreso a film, visual art, theater or dance presentation, we ask that you submit under O+ Festival Kingston Art 2024, but if you see the performance being produced on a stage with live sound and light elements, continue with this music application.  Please do not submit in more than one category.

The theme of this year’s festival is NO+ISE.  It can be righteous, it can be rocking, it can be necessary or it can cause a disruption. We recognize that within noise lies the potential for innovation and harmony. Noise has the capacity to uplift, inspire, and unite as well as to be used to distract us from what is real or distance us from the sounds of our own minds. For those who would like to know more about our theme, or may consider tailoring your set with this in mind (which is always appreciated), you can find more information HERE.

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All submissions will be thoroughly reviewed by the O+ Music Committee: a rotating group of 6-8 alumni, musicians, industry professionals, etc. representing different genres, identities and perspectives. 

Musicians will be notified of acceptance by early June. 

Accepted musicians will be invited to perform at this year’s festival in exchange for access to health care in the O+ Artists’ Clinic (with options for in-office dental and optical appointments), an honorarium for travel expenses, homemade food and drink in our Greenroom throughout the weekend, and access to all shows, workshops, and events throughout O+ weekend. 

We expect to receive hundreds of music submissions for only about 40 available performance slots in which we carefully consider cultural and musical diversity and medical needs. Capacity is determined largely by the amount of care we are able to provide at our clinic during the festival weekend. We do not typically accept acts that have performed in the previous three festivals, but we encourage you to continue applying as we hope to bring you back to perform again in the future. We ask for your patience and understanding should your submission not be accepted for this year and encourage all who are not chosen to reapply next year. We hope to bring as many artists into our community as we can! 

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This has been an exciting year for O+ as we've taken our festival model of exchanging art and music for health care from 3 days to 365. We now have a year round clinic, event & gallery space in Kingston with a practicing physician and complimentary care providers that are serving our alumni community. Find out more about how to access this space and the exchange HERE. 

If you're interested in volunteering for a free festival wristband or in exchange for a clinic visit please click HERE. We are always looking for musicians with experience in production and sound/tech skills to join our team! 

      Looking forward to reviewing your submission and to another amazing festival!
        The 2024 O+ Kingston Music Committee
 

Questions or difficulties completing the submission form?
Don't let any barriers, personal, perceived or technical, get in the way of submitting your work. Please reach out to us for assistance in applying if you need support of any kind.
Please contact info@opositivefestival.org or call (845) 399-5343 for assistance.