ZArtizenBack the fund

A ZAO umbrella + fund on Artizen - launching

ZAO Festivals

ZAO Festivals brings live culture to real places. Starting in Ellsworth, Maine (the gateway to Acadia) with ZAOstock - a free, community-owned festival where independent artists and a crypto community gather. Plus Zaoville, COC Concertz, and more. Each event gets backed by a community match fund so organizers stay independent. Artist-first, IRL, community-powered.

Status: in proposal with Artizen. We are lining up the first festivals and sponsors now so the fund launches with momentum. Get in early - the earliest organizers and backers set the tone.

Our events

ZAO Festivals is the umbrella. Each event is its own project that the community backs, and the fund matches. ZAOstock is the flagship - Zaoville is the dry run - and the door is open for more.

  • ZAOstock 2026

    Flagship

    October 3, 2026 - Ellsworth, Maine

    The flagship. Ellsworth, Maine - the gateway to Acadia. A free, community-owned music festival where independent artists and a crypto-native music community gather to celebrate together. Community-curated, fairly paid.

  • Zaoville

    Summer 2026 - DC metro area

    A ZAO day-party hosted with Dcoop - and a live dry run for the ZAOstock model. The umbrella in action ahead of the flagship.

  • Your event

    Rolling - Anywhere

    Running a festival, concert, show, or gathering that fits the ZAO spirit? Bring it under ZAO Festivals and tap the fund + the community.

Where ZAO Festivals fits

Artizen has funds for music and for gatherings - we are not claiming an empty lane. What ZAO Festivals adds is a home run by the people who throw the festivals: backing our own ecosystem of events and the artists in them, with a community that actually shows up to collect.

  • We're Loud Fund

    DIY music festivals in unlikely places

  • Global Music Fund

    cross-cultural music collaboration

  • Greenpill Regen Gatherings

    regenerative / ecovillage gatherings

  • ZAO Festivals Fund

    ZAO's own events + artists, backed by the ZAO crowd

What we fund

  • -Produces a real-world gathering or live cultural activation - festival, concert, show, residency, tour, exhibition
  • -Creator / organizer owned and independently operated
  • -Meaningful community participation, not a top-down production
  • -Builds in public - shares process, progress, lineup, outcomes
  • -Fair compensation for the artists involved
  • -Culminates in something public people can show up to

How the match works

On Artizen, supporters collect a project's $10 open-edition Artifact (100% to the creator). Every dollar of sales can unlock match from each fund backing the project, at that week's Match Multiple. Curate your festival into the ZAO Festivals Fund and other aligned funds, and the same sale draws on more pools. The ZAO community shows up to collect and boost - that is the edge.

Who it is for

  • COC Concertz

    Community-owned concert promotion and artist showcases.

  • Artist tours + residencies

    ZAO-incubated artists taking the work on the road and into rooms.

  • ZABAL Games activations

    Live demos, showcases, and workshops from the bootcamp world.

  • Independent organizers

    Anyone running live culture who wants a fund that actually gets it.

Get in early

Running a festival or live event? Reach out and we will line you up for the fund's first season. Want to sponsor live culture and let the community direct it? Same - let's talk.