U? is excited to continue co-creating the festival program. We once again open up space for individuals or collectives who are closely connected to a community to step into a curatorial role. Rather than prior experience, we are looking for a strong motivation to work with and for a community, and a desire to tell and share its stories through art and culture.
Curators
We want to work with (aspiring) curators who are deeply committed to a scene or community (or perhaps multiple communities) based in the Netherlands. We are searching for people with a strong drive to share the story of the community that surrounds them. This can be through music, audio/visual art, poetry, workshops, dinners, or any other discipline or format.
As a curator, you’ll receive full artistic autonomy over your program, and we’ll be there to support during this trajectory. From the initial seeds of creativity and brainstorm sessions, to translating ideas and stories to a physical presentation, to collaborating with our production and marketing teams.
You are welcome to apply as an individual or as a collective. The preparation for the project will mainly take place between May and November, with a presentation moment happening on 7 or 8 November. It is a paid position – expect to work no more than one day per week.
Interested? We'd love to hear from you!
You can respond to this call via a written letter, (graphic) document or a short video (max 3 minutes). Please do so on 26 March at the latest by sending an email to the U? Coordination Defne Yalman (defne@leguesswho.com).
- Can you tell us about your community and its needs?
- How would you like to work together with your community?
- Do you already have any ideas for a program? We would love to hear these (this is not a necessity).
As part of our acknowledgment of the time and energy that these applications require, we will offer a workshop on writing funding applications (with Sofia Vieira) after the selection process is completed. The workshop will take place at the end of April in Utrecht and will be open on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to capacity. If you have any questions, you can reach out to Defne Yalman (defne@leguesswho.com).
About U? & Le Guess Who?
Le Guess Who? is an internationally renowned festival for forward-thinking music and culture. Le Guess Who? and the city of Utrecht are inseparably linked. U? was created to invest in this local connection, introducing national and international festival-goers to Utrecht’s cultural and creative diversity while engaging local residents.
U? aims to reach, connect, and facilitate personal encounters through public programming. We recognize that communities are not necessarily bound to one specific location, but are ecosystems of people connected through shared cultural experiences, practices or philosophies. By facilitating shared experiences we foster connections that enrich lives and create lasting community bonds.
With U?, Le Guess Who? celebrates local and creative communities across the Netherlands, with a strong focus on Utrecht. The festival takes place 7 & 8 November 2026 in Utrecht.
Photography by Noah Schielen
