How to get booked at a festival in 2027: a DJ's guide to open calls and pitching
Most festival line-ups for summer 2027 are being decided this winter. Here is how open calls work, what bookers want to see, and the deadlines coming up on StageOS right now.
By StageOS Editorial ·
A festival slot can change a DJ's year. It is the line on your EPK that gets you the next booking, and the next. But most artists only start thinking about summer when the posters come out, and by then the line-up has been locked for months.
When festivals actually book
For summer 2027, the work happens now:
- October to December: showcase festivals and many independent festivals run open calls. Bookers start shortlisting.
- January to March: headliners are announced, then the second and third tiers. Smaller stages and new-talent slots fill up.
- April to June: last-minute replacements and warm-up slots. Possible, but you need to already be on the booker's radar.
If you want to play in 2027, your EPK needs to be ready before Christmas.
Open calls versus pitching
There are two routes in.
Open calls are public applications. Showcase festivals such as FOCUS Wales, Tallinn Music Week and SXSW run them every year, and many smaller festivals do too. You fill in a form, link your music and wait. Some charge a fee, most do not.
Pitching is a direct message to the festival's booker or stage host. It works best for smaller festivals and for individual stages or tents run by a promoter you already know. Keep it short: who you are, why you fit that stage, one mix, your EPK link. Follow up once, after two weeks.
What bookers look for
Ask a festival booker what makes them skip an application and you get the same answers: no music they can play in one click, no live photos, no proof anyone has booked you before, and a bio that reads like a novel. Before you apply anywhere, check you have:
- Two or three mixes in the style the stage plays, not your whole catalogue.
- Live photos, ideally behind the decks with a crowd in shot.
- Past gigs, with dates and venues. Even small ones count.
- A short bio, three sentences, written for the booker, not your fans.
- One link that holds all of it.
That last point is the whole idea behind StageOS: a free EPK that holds your music, photos, gigs and bio in one link, and lets you apply to festivals listed on StageOS directly from it.
Open calls on StageOS right now
- Tallinn Music Week (Tallinn, Estonia, 8-11 April 2027): artists of all genres, deadline 26 October 2026.
- FOCUS Wales (Wrexham, 6-8 May 2027): artists of all genres, deadline 1 November 2026.
- SXSW Music (Austin, Texas, 15-21 March 2027): artists worldwide, application fee, notifications by 18 December.
- Summerfest (Milwaukee, 24 June-10 July 2027): artists worldwide, deadline 2 December 2026.
See every festival with open applications at stageosapp.com/festivals/open-applications, and set an alert so you hear the moment a new one opens.
The short version
Get your EPK ready now, apply to every open call that fits your sound, pitch the smaller festivals directly, and keep your gigs list current so each application is stronger than the last.
Build your free EPK on StageOS and apply to your first festival today.