Alpaca Festival 2027: Algorithmic Patterns in the Creative Arts

Alpaca is returning to Sheffield from Thursday 6 to Sunday 9 May 2027. The full title is Algorithmic Patterns in the Creative Arts, and it's run by Alex McLean. This will be its second edition, and it's spread across several venues in central Sheffield, all a short walk from the train station.

It's a festival and a conference in one, and the programme is built around live performances, conference talks and workshops. The call is open to artists, musicians, craftspeople and anyone else working with patterns, so the line-up draws from a few different worlds rather than sticking to one. The organisers describe it as being for people who value a deep, human curiosity about patterns, and that's the common thread that ties the gigs, the talks and the workshops together.

McLean runs the festival on a one-and-a-half year cycle, and if you want to see what it looks like in practice, there's a short film of the 2025 edition. The 2027 edition is still being built, though: there's an open call for performances, workshops and conference talks with a deadline of 1 November 2026, so if you've got something you're working on that fits, you can still put yourself forward. The organisers have also mentioned they hope to add activities in other cities and online in the future.

So, mark the dates: Thursday 6 to Sunday 9 May 2027, in central Sheffield, a short walk from the station. If you're thinking of proposing something, get your application in by 1 November 2026.