A digital graphic advertising the XMTR audio arts festival taking place from September 25 to 27, 2026, in St. Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, UK. The design features a dark background with pastel-colored text and lines, highlighting details about the event and its focus on audio and arts.

XMTR AUDIO ARTS FESTIVAL 2026


Friday 25th September: XMTR PULSE + Audio Cabaret Festival Launch
Saturday 26th + Sunday 27th: XMTR FESTIVAL
Monday 27th: Dungeness Field Trip

XMTR Audio Arts Festival is a deep dive into the craft of creative audio and sonic storytelling - from powerful and provocative performances, to focused listening and immersive experiences, with knowledge sharing through talks and masterclasses - across multiple venues in St Leonards-on-Sea and Hastings. This seaside festival is a celebration of sound, where the local and international creative audio community connect, collaborate, inspire and inspirit.
Full programme coming soon - tickets below:

Festival Frequently Asked Questions (Travel / Accommodation + More)

ARTISTS + CONTRIBUTORS
Abigail Wincott, Anna de Wolff Evans + Jude Shapiro, Anno Mitchell, Ariana Martinez + Jazmine Green (CMD+JAZMINE) + Lucy Little, Angela Kingdon + Simon Scott (Autistic Culture Podcast Network), Axel Kacoutié, Bitsy Knox, Blake Pfeil (All-American Ruins), Caitlin Kennedy, Chloe Turpin, Colour Carver, Dan Am, Daniel Brandt, Danni Stewart, Dannie-Lu Carr, David Littlefair, DinahBird, Ed Baxter, Eleanor McDowall, Eloïse Bertil, Emma-Kate Matthews, Fatuma Khaireh + Lina Prestwood, Felix Ford, Fin Kennedy + Farokh Soltani, Hannah Kemp-Welch, Hayley Clarke, Helen Zaltzman, Ilaria Gadenz, Inne Eysermans, Isobel Anderson + Miroslava Vecerova, Jo Hutton, Jodie Taylor, Jude Montague + Duncan Reekie + Matt Armstrong, Judith Geffert + Martina Pouchlá + Ingo Kottkamp, Julie Shapiro (Audio Flux), Katharina Smets + Katherina Lindekens, Kalli Anderson, Karina Townsend, Knut Aufermann (Mobile Radio), Kyla Jardine, Leona Fensome, Lucy Dearlove, M. Cristina Marras + Gianfranco Bitti, Mae-Li Evans, Martin Austwick + Jeff Emtman (Neutrinowatch), Mary Hooper, Miri Berlin, Nanna Hauge Kristensen, Nexus Asanté + Sean Clarke, Niamh O'Brien, Nick Dunkerley, Nicola Mecca (Keplero), Pete Hazell (Limbo Tapes), Phil Smith, Ruth Sullivan, safe + sound (Jesse Lawson / Kit Callin), Sarah Frosh, Sarah Washington (Mobile Radio), Stellaria Media (Lucinda Guy + Alice Armstrong), Tom Roe, Tony Birch, Tullis Rennie + Cath Roberts (Composite Mashworks), URLAND, Wajid Yaseen (Modus Arts), Will Gore + Friends…

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See you in September!

XMTR FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS 2025

Take a listen to some of the work featured at
XMTR Festival 2025 »>

ABOUT XMTR AUDIO ARTS FESTIVAL

Over the past decade, Social Broadcasts has been combining community led co-creation, participatory art practice and radio making, to produce place-based audio projects all across the UK. In 2021, sonic storytelling platform XMTR.FM was launched with the ambition to showcase work from both emerging and seasoned independent audio makers from across the globe.

XMTR AUDIO ARTS FESTIVAL combines these two concepts to imagine an audio festival that champions local stories and artists, as well as showcasing audio works from around the world. Established in 2024 as part of local sound arts festival Sono Electro, we’re delighted to be back for a third year of the festival.

Why St-Leonards-on-Sea?
This seaside area in Hastings has been a popular destination since the 1850s, when the railways arrived from London, Brighton and the Southeast. Today, the town has a thriving artist community and a plethora of historical buildings, intimate spaces and artist-led venues, making it an ideal place for a roving festival.

Why an audio festival?
As the audio and radio making space becomes more digital, in-person, creative and collaborative experiences are ever more important. There are plenty of ‘podcast’ festivals focused on the business of podcasting and the nuts and bolts of audio production, but there’s been very little celebration of the creativity of audio making and radio arts in the UK. Inspired by legendary festivals such as the LUCIA Festival in Florence, Radio Revolten in Halle, Germany and Hearsay in Ireland. We felt it was time there was somewhere for the ever-growing community of creative audio makers (podcast producers, sound artists, radio makers) to gather, collaborate and be inspired. For both already initiated and new audiences, to experience the richness and diversity of creative audio storytelling

Local frequencies
Part of the ethos of this festival is that it’s not top down, but instead deeply embedded in the area and the local community. The aim is to create works featuring historical and contemporary local stories, collaborate with local artists and venues, and co-ordinate audio making workshops for already embedded groups to produce ‘locally sourced’ work to be featured at the festival. This community-led, place-based work lays the foundations for the festival, making it a celebration of place through sonic storytelling.

A diverse group of four people standing in front of a wall with sketches, speaking into microphones during a presentation or event, with musical instruments and equipment nearby.

Take a look at what happened in:

XMTR AUDIO ARTS FESTIVAL 2024

XMTR AUDIO ARTS FESTIVAL 2025

Group of four people gathered around electronic music equipment at an indoor event, with a young woman in a blue Adidas shirt in focus, and others watching in the background.

“Each act of the festival was fiercely individual (they) strive to provide a space to celebrate often isolated creative audio minds. The only disappointment here was too much to see and not enough time. Book early next year.” Jo Hutton, The Wire, December 2025

"A gathering of beautiful nerds, doing weird things with sound.” Lecker Podcast Substack, October 2025. Read the full review

“This was one of the most creative and welcoming festivals I've been to for audiophiles! It's so rare to find a space to geek out on oral storytelling and sound in all its varied mediums, but I certainly found my people. I'll definitely be coming back next year!”

“This festival brings the heart and creative connections back into the sonic space. Bringing together artists from a wide range of genres and disciplines, the common thread is the joy of using sound to tell stories; to gather; to connect. Honestly made me want to drop everything and return full time to working on sound art.”

“XMTR Festival was a highlight of my audio year! The programme was packed full of engaging events and installations, and I met so many new, lovely people who are working to make the industry a better place to be. I can't wait till next year!”

Tom Roe’s XMTR adventures: Thee Radio Art Hour Substack

A group of people gathered outdoors in a park, some sitting on the grass and others standing, while a young woman stands nearby with a backpack. There are speakers set up, indicating a possible outdoor event or gathering.
Group of people gathered on a wooden boardwalk near the ocean on a cloudy day, some sitting on benches and others standing, with a lamp post in the background.

If you have any questions just hit <<get in touch>> below.

A girl wearing headphones and a beige hoodie is working on a science experiment involving melting chocolate on ice, with other students and an instructor in the background.
Two lifeguards dressed in yellow rain suits standing on pebble beach next to a yellow rescue board with 'Lifeguards' written on it, under a partly cloudy sky multistory buildings in the background.
Group of people happily interacting and smiling in a warmly lit indoor space, possibly during a social event or gathering, with audio equipment and lighting overhead.
A live music event in a cozy venue with a small stage, where a male guitarist in a red shirt, a man with a microphone, and a woman with glasses are performing. The audience includes people sitting on couches and chairs, some drinking, and others standing or sitting on the floor. The walls are decorated with framed vinyl records and posters, and there are large windows letting in natural light.