Schools Festival 2026
Following the success of the 24/25 Festival we are thrilled to launch Wac Arts Schools Festival 2026. The Wac Arts School Festival is a programme of workshops facilitated by industry professionals culminating with all participating schools coming together at Wac Arts in the Old Town Hall on the 22nd of May to celebrate and share their work.
We are excited to offer the opportunity for secondary school students to devise and create original performances, films/animations and/or curate an exhibition inspired by this year’s theme: Connections – People, Place and Purpose.
Schools can submit Creative Project Groups formed of 10-25 young people (Year 7-10) to devise:
A Live Performance
Dance, Music, Physical Theatre, Spoken Word, Theatre etc.
And/Or
A Creative Arts Exhibition
Animation, Collage, Photography, Painting, Visual Arts etc.
Participating schools will receive
· 1 x 2-hour introduction workshop in January 2026.
· 4 x 2 hour in-school creative workshops that take place once a month with professional artists.
· A festival day celebrating students work in the form of a performance or exhibition on the 22nd of May 2026.
The fee per Creative Group for the Schools Festival 2026 is £600.
To apply please complete the online application form using the link below. Alternatively, if you would like to discuss your application please email schools@wacarts.co.uk or to speak to a member of the team, please call Harriet on 020 7692 5800.
Schools Festival Information pack
The deadline to apply for the Schools Festival 2026 is 17:00 Monday 6th October 2025.
FAQ’s
This is completely up to you. All sessions will be scheduled to fit around your school timetable. We will agree on the dates and times of your sessions before the beginning of the Christmas break.
o Workshops: These take place at your school once a month leading up to the Schools Festival Day. We can also arrange for your introduction workshop to be held at Wac Arts.
o The Schools Festival Day: Friday 22nd May 2026: The event will be held at Wac Arts, Old Town Hall, 213 Haverstock Hill, London, NW3 4QP.
Where possible, all groups are encouraged to consider sustainability and source reusable materials for their projects. Additional resources that are specific to your Creative Project Group and may incur a cost can be explored with your professional artist and Wac Arts during the process.
- Initial meeting with the Schools Festival team (30 mins). This will take place during Autumn Term 2024 to align diaries and answer queries in advance of the School Festival Programme commencing.
- The Lead Contact for each school will be responsible for all administration and correspondence with the Schools Festival team for the duration of the Programme.
- Support and liaise with your Wac Arts Facilitator during Creative Workshops to ensure smooth running of sessions. Each workshop is 2-hours long and occurs monthly leading up to the Schools Festival Day (10 hours in total).
- Arrange transport for young people to and from The Old Town Hall for Introductory Workshop and/ or the Schools Festival Day.