Kirkstall Art Trail relies on volunteer venues to host artists each year – private homes, businesses, and community spaces across Kirkstall. This page covers everything involved in hosting, from deciding whether to apply through to the event weekend itself.
- Event dates: Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 July 2027, 11am to 5pm
- Ready by: 10.45am on both days
Interested in hosting? Register your interest on the host venues page, or contact us, selecting ‘Venue host’.
Before you apply
Area covered
The map below shows the general area covered by the Art Trail.
Venues outside this area are considered on a case-by-case basis – contact us to check.
Venues we’re looking for
Any venue type is considered – from houses to retail units, and even heritage and community buildings. The only criterion is that it is not too difficult for the general public to locate.
Information needed about your venue
The checklist below covers what’s needed to register interest. Discussions can happen face-to-face, by phone, or by email.
Registering your interest
venue address
main contact name, phone number, and email address
access information for your venue
how many artists your venue can host
Access information – guidance and support available, see your visitor access guide below.
Matching artists to venues
Once all artist applications are received and venues confirmed, artists are matched to venues – taking into account any preferences or accessibility requirements they’ve given.
Meeting your artist
Hosts and artists are introduced by email, which includes contact details. It is generally left to both parties to arrange a first meeting. Support from an organiser is available on request.
Displaying work on your walls
It is up to the host whether artists can attach work directly to the walls. Artists are encouraged to think about how to display their work, given they’re exhibiting in unconventional venues – see displaying your work on the information for artists page.
Insurance and safety
Public liability insurance
Kirkstall Art Trail purchases event public liability insurance, covering all participating venues, whether private, public, or business.
Hosts remain responsible for the structural safety and security of their own venue, and for their own contents and belongings – this is not covered by the Art Trail’s event insurance. For private residences, this includes basic structural safety obligations under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957.
Queries about this insurance and what it covers can be sent using the concerns and enquiries form, selecting ‘Insurance’.
Individual artists must hold their own public liability insurance, covering damage to a host’s home caused by the artist’s work. See insurance and risk assessment on the information for artists page.
Risk assessment
A general event risk assessment is provided to all venues and artists, and included in the venue welcome pack. As part of this, hosts should:
- test that the main exit door opens easily from the inside, and that the escape route is unobstructed
- be aware of the maximum number of visitors the space can safely hold at one time, and monitor this during the event
- notify Kirkstall Art Trail immediately of any accidents, near misses, or new safety hazards that arise during event hours
Any risk not covered by the assessment should be reported to Kirkstall Art Trail immediately, using the concerns and enquiries form, selecting ‘Health and safety’.
Health and safety policy
Kirkstall Art Trail has a ‘health and safety policy’, setting out responsibilities for coordinators, venue hosts, artists, volunteers, and visitors. A copy is provided to hosts ahead of the event.
Any concern not covered by the policy or risk assessment should be reported to Kirkstall Art Trail immediately, using the concerns and enquiries form, selecting ‘Health and safety’.
In an emergency, call 999 first, then notify Kirkstall Art Trail as soon as it is safe to do so.
Your visitor access guide
A detailed access guide lets visitors know what access will be like before they arrive, describing the route in and what the facilities are like inside. As access needs vary, this allows visitors to make their own informed choices about where to visit.
Access descriptions are requested from all venues, using the visitor access guide form. The form covers:
- full address, including postcode
- venue description – the approach to the building, the entrance, and the interior, including ground surface, steps, door widths, and similar details; private residences are not expected to have step-free entrances or wide doorways, but a description of what’s there is still needed
- dogs – whether assistance dogs and pet dogs are permitted, and any facilities provided, such as water bowls or waste bins
- toilets – whether toilet facilities are available, and if so, whether they are accessible or include baby-changing facilities; private residences are not obliged to offer toilet access
- food and drink – whether refreshments are available, and any relevant detail such as dietary options; private residences are not obliged to offer food or drink
- a photograph of the venue, showing the approach and entrance, to help visitors recognise it in advance
Some venues may also include directions on how to find them – this can be provided by the host where relevant, or put together directly by Kirkstall Art Trail where it isn’t needed.
Step-by-step guidance on completing the form, including worked examples for both a public venue and a private residence, is available in how to fill in the visitor access guides. Support with completing the form is available from Kirkstall Art Trail on request.
Preparing your venue
The venue welcome pack
All venues receive a welcome pack, split between digital documents and physical items, delivered in person.
Sent digitally
event risk assessment
health and safety policy
safeguarding policy
lost and found child and adult at risk policy
private property terms and conditions, for private residences
Physical pack contents
visitor monitoring forms and comment book
Art Trail maps and posters
photography consent notice, for display
insurance document, for reference
private – no entry signs, for private residences
arrows and bunting
venue number signage
For any questions after receiving the pack, or requests for extra signage, contact us, selecting ‘Venue host’.
Physical pack contents should be returned to Kirkstall Art Trail at the close of the event. Reusing pack contents helps reduce costs in subsequent years, and supports the environmental sustainability commitment.
Preparing the space
Put away: valuables, and anything not intended for public display, in a room that won’t be open to visitors – marked private using the signs from the welcome pack.
Leave out: rooms being opened, decluttered and cleaned. Remember to keep clear access to fire exits at all times.
Displaying signage
Display the photography consent notice, QR code poster, and any other posters in a prominent position where visitors can easily see them.
Place the venue number signage outside, somewhere clearly visible and easy for visitors to scan the QR code.
Put bunting and arrows outside the venue where visitors will clearly see them. Venues are also welcome to decorate with yellow-themed items or other decorations.
See finding venues on the plan your visit page for examples.
Working with your artist
Facilities the artist can use during the event should be agreed between host and artist in advance – for example, the bathroom, kitchen, or storage space.
Display arrangements should also be discussed in advance:
- clearly define the available space for the purpose of the Art Trail
- arrange with the artist when they can install their work
- be available to answer questions or help troubleshoot issues during the setup period
- consider the logistics of hosting the artist’s work in the venue during the event
- arrange how the artist will pack down and remove their work after the event has ended
Refreshments and toilets
Venues are not expected to provide refreshments for visitors, unless it is the venue’s business, such as a café. Venues choosing to provide tea and cake should consider the size of their space, the supply of crockery, and the clean-up involved. It is illegal to sell alcohol without an appropriate licence.
Toilets are not required for visitors unless normally open to the public. Private residences are not expected to provide a toilet for visitors – this is entirely at the host’s own discretion.
During the Art Trail
Opening hours
The Art Trail is open from 11am to 5pm on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 July 2027. Everyone should be ready by 10.45am.
Supervision
Spaces should not be left unattended – the artist or the host should be there at all times, ensuring visitors get the most out of their visit. See setup, attendance, and breaks on the information for artists page for guidance on arranging cover.
Meeting and greeting visitors
A tally of visitor numbers should be kept and recorded on the monitoring form provided in the welcome pack.
Visitors are welcomed and given helpful information about the Art Trail, such as activities, nearby venues, and maps. Encouraging visitors to leave a comment, sign up to the newsletter using the QR code poster, and visit the Kirkstall Art Trail website is appreciated.
Venue directory and venue pages
Once all artists and venues are confirmed, both an artist directory and a venue directory are created, published closer to the date of the Art Trail. Each venue is numbered with reference to its location on the map.
Links in the venue directory lead to individual venue pages, giving visitors extra information to help plan their visit. Each venue page lists the artists and activities at that venue, followed by its access guide – covering the full address, venue description, and details on dogs, toilets, and food and drink, along with a photograph of the venue.
Social media
Hosts are welcome to share photos from the weekend – see publicity and promotion on the information for artists page for how Kirkstall Art Trail uses social media.
Related information
- Information for artists – everything involved in taking part as an artist
- Access statement – how Kirkstall Art Trail approaches accessibility across the event and website
- Environmental sustainability commitment – how Kirkstall Art Trail works to reduce its environmental impact