Questions about the Festival:
What is the London Festival of Architecture (LFA)? LFA is a month-long celebration of architecture and city-making, that takes place every June across London. Our mission is to open up discussions around architecture, test new ideas and uncover and promote new talent.
When is LFA? LFA takes place annually in June, with events taking place across the whole month. Studio Lates will take place across the four Thursdays.
Who attends LFA? Each year, LFA engages an approximately 700,000 people through 400+ events across London. Attendees include those within the Built Environment industry and adjacent industries, architecture enthusiast, students, families, international visitors, and many more.
Is there a detailed run-down of the LFA programme? This will be announced when our programme goes live in May each year. Check the LFA Website for the full listings, and subscribe to our newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest information as and when it’s announced.
Questions about proposing activity for the Festival:
How do I propose a Festival activity? To submit an event proposal for LFA, please create an organiser account if you do not already have one. If you would like to change your attendee account to an organiser account, please email info@londonfestivalofarchitecture.org with your request and our team will respond as soon as possible. Once you have access to an organiser account, you will be able to access our Organiser Pack and other resources to help organise your own event. Our Open Call to submit for LFA2026 will launch in January 2026 and stay open until March 2026.
Do I need to be an architect to organise a Festival activity? No! What makes the LFA unique is that the LFA programme is people-led and curated by event organisers; we believe in the power of collaboration with the people who live, shape, and truly know London. It’s the breadth and creativity of this community of event organisers that delivers such a varied and engaging programme of events for the festival each June.
Do I need to have run an event before? No! We work year-round to help new individuals and organisations feel empowered to stage their own festival events and welcome everyone into the conversation around architecture and our city. This is done through LFA Organiser calls and surgery days, as well as the resources in the account section.
What kind of information do I need to submit to the Festival? To start with you will need an event title, a description of the event, and an image that captures the event. We will also need to know whether you have a venue and funding secured yet or not. Other key information, along with a complete checklist can be found in the account section of the LFA website here.
How much does it cost to be part of LFA? You need to complete one submission per event, with each event submission charged separately. The submission fee (£180+VAT Early bird, £280+VAT Standard) covers the administrative support of your event, including promotion from LFA and merchandise, as well as organiser perks including admittance to the LFA opening party.
Are there any rates for concessions? Yes! LFA is committed to supporting charities, not-for-profit organisations, students, academic bodies, emerging designers, small practices (up to 10 employees), community groups,and individuals who traditionally may not be included in discussions around architecture. Therefore, we offer free of charge submissions to all the above. All NLA members will receive a 30% discount. If you believe you qualify for a concession rate, you will be able to mark this as you submit your event, and the fee will be removed. If you fall outside the categories outlined above and are unable to pay the fee, please get in touch and we will review on a case-by-case basis. Please note that every submission is reviewed and free submissions will not be approved if the criteria is not matched.
Do I need to create a new account for LFA2026? If you have created an account after 2023, you can use this account to propose your Festival activity. Don’t have an account? You can create an LFA account here. Once your account has been approved, you will be able to submit your event submission by clicking the button ‘Submit my event’. The LFA team will review events within 7 days of being received, so the sooner you submit your event, the sooner you will receive feedback and the status of the event. Please don’t leave it until the last moment
How many activities can I submit? Each organisation can submit up to three activities to take place during the festival. For multiple versions of the same event (such as walking tours), there is a limit of two versions of the same event. This is reviewed on a case- by-case basis. Please note, each activity will be reviewed and charged separately.
Will events be accepted after the deadline? No. LFA is aims to support a wide range of organisers. In order to do this all Festival activity proposals after 7 March (20 for partners) will not be accepted.
Questions about your Festival activity:
Does my Festival activity have to last the whole of June? No, you can choose how long your event lasts for, it can be one hour, one day or the whole month! The length also depends heavily on the type of event. For example, a workshop may just last one or two hours on one day, whereas an exhibition could last a week or a month.
Can my Festival activity be sponsored by an individual or organisation? Approaching potential sponsors to help cover the costs of your event(s) is a great way to ensure you are able to deliver the best activity. However, please to be careful about promising benefits that can only be delivered by the LFA team or LFA website.
What support is there for organisers? There are many different forms for organisers, depending on previous experiences with LFA. These include the LFA Mentor surgery days, online resources and annual organiser calls and resources. Find out the dates and links for each of these in the Account section of the LFA website here – including the LFA2026 event submission checklist, guide to inclusive and sustainable events and more.
My activity listing won’t be ready by the deadline, what do I do? Activity listings for the website that are not ready by the deadlines. will not be added to programme, unless in extreme situations. Please ensure you stick to the key dates on the LFA account section
Somethings changed with my activity after the deadline/going live, what do I do? It is vital you let LFA team know ASAP, so there is no incorrect information for Festival attendees. You can do this by emailing info@londonfestivalofarchitecture.org or calling 020 7636 4044.
Can LFA fund my Festival activity? LFA are not able to directly offer funding to support your Festival activity – much of the funding we generate goes directly into supporting the programmes and activities we run and resources we create. However, each year we work to matchmake organisers with free venues across the city and leverage our community to create opportunities for spaces and funding for many of our organisers. The earlier you submit your event proposal, the opportunity we have to offer help and guidance.
How does ticketing work for LFA? Organisers can select if the event is a drop in or ticketed event. For either, there is the option to add in a booking link – using a platform of your choice. We recommend using Eventbrite – and have put together a document on how to set up and manage an Eventbrite event in the LFA Account section. Attendees can then save their favourite events to create a Festival Itinerary and book directly onto their chosen events. Recommendations about overbooking your event, to control drop outs can be found in the account section.
How do I ensure people come to my event if it is not paid tickets? This year organisers will be able to see the number of attendees who’ve bookmarked your Festival activity. This will be able to help understand numbers ahead of your event. You will be able to set a maximum number for the space. We recommend this is between 30-50% above your maximum capacity. You will also be able to have a waitlist, once your event has become sold out.
Attendees who bookmark drop in events in the programme will also receive reminders ahead of the event. If you have an additional booking system, ensure you set up reminders for events, with most up to date information about the venue and provisions at the event.
When should my event take place? If you’re event is for everyone, we suggest doing this at the weekend. If professionals, weekdays before or after work, or during lunchtimes. Where possible, running two versions of the event at different times, allows more to attend at a time that works for them
How long should my tour be / how many breaks should I have? Many tours are too long, which is not great for those with less energy or younger audiences. We recommend having a 10 -15min break every 45-60mins, with tours lasting no longer than 2 hours – unless have at least a 30 min break in the middle.
How will visitors know my Festival activity is part of LFA? Each year LFA provides a range of complimentary digital assets and physical merchandise for organisers to use. You’ll find a range of material with your LFA account ahead of the programme launch, including the LFA logo.
How do I promote my Festival activity? The LFA team will promote all events, but we recommend also promoting your own event(s) with your own audience. We’ve put together some top tips for promoting your event, you can find this in the account section of the LFA website here.
Are there any commitments for organisers post Festival? By submitting an event you agree to complete LFA’s feedback form, as well as upload any photos or videos from your event(s). We ask this as want to know how your event went and how many people attended. We also want to make sure your event is captured in our LFA archive. The feedback form can be found in the account section of the website. We need these returned by 10th July 2025.