Request For Proposal

Deadline:
Applications received by April 24, 2026 will be considered for hosting the 2027 festival. Applications for hosting the 2028 or 2029 festival will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Contact:
Interested cities and organizations are encouraged to reach out for preliminary conversations and questions prior to submitting an application. Email Executive Director Kristen Milburn @director@sunnydayzmuralfest.com.

Request for proposal Application

About the Sunny Dayz Mural Festival:

Sunny Dayz is a traveling mural festival that partners with a new community each year to produce a series of large-scale public murals by women and gender-minority artists. The festival blends public art production with mentorship, education, and community programming.

Festival highlights include:

A series of 20-30 permanent, large-scale public murals
Visiting and local artists
Community programming and special events
An on-site production period, often referred to as “Sunny Week,” when murals are actively painted

Creative Control:
Artists selected by Sunny Dayz retain full creative control over their mural concepts. Content review is limited to safety, legality, and publicly funded guidelines (e.g., profanity, hate speech) and is not intended to restrict artistic expression. All content review is conducted by Sunny Dayz and is not delegated to the Host Community.

Why Host Sunny Dayz?

Hosting the Sunny Dayz Mural Festival provides lasting cultural, economic, and social benefits, including:

Economic Development
& Tourism

Increased foot traffic and spending at local businesses
Visiting artists, staff, and attendees supporting hotels, restaurants, and services
Long-term arts and cultural tourism benefits

Beautification & Placemaking

High-quality, permanent murals that enhance neighborhood identity
Activation of underutilized or overlooked spaces
Public art that reflects inclusive values and community pride

Quality of Life & Public Safety

Active, vibrant public spaces
Increased presence and visibility in
mural areas
Strengthened neighborhood pride, care, and stewardship

Civic Pride & Visibility

National recognition for supporting
artists
Media coverage and positive social visibility
Alignment with equity, arts, and cultural investment goals

What Sunny Dayz

Provides:

Sunny Dayz manages the core creative, production, and operational components of the festival, allowing Host Communities to focus on local coordination and support.

Sunny Dayz is responsible for:

Artist recruitment, selection, and contracting
Artist communication and coordination
Festival production and on-site management
Marketing, branding, and creative direction
Press and media outreach
Supplemental fundraising and grant-writing
Volunteer recruitment and management
Mentorship, educational programming, and special events

What Sunny Dayz Needs
From the
Host Community?

Additional Support

Host Communities are also asked to provide:

A letter of support for additional fundraising efforts
A designated local point of contact to serve as site liaison
A designated local point of contact to serve as fundraising chair
Assistance identifying and securing mural sites and building owner permissions
Support with permitting and barricading, security, trash services, and local logistics
A proposed festival headquarters location
Proposed housing options for artists, staff, and volunteers

Financial Commitment

The most significant requirement to host the Sunny Dayz Mural Festival is a $80,000-$100,000 financial commitment from the Host Community. These funds are used to support muralist stipends and represent approximately one-third of the total festival costs.

Sunny Dayz understands that funding structures vary and is open to discussing how this commitment is assembled.

Sunny Dayz is willing to work with cities and organizations to determine how these needs are met based on local capacity.