60+ free events and £30k in grants: Young People’s Borough of Culture launches Youth Arts Festival and Our Place

As part of Young People’s Borough of Culture programme, Hammersmith & Fulham announce Youth Arts Festival featuring more than 60 events and Our Place, £30k of grants going directly to young people to organise and deliver creative activities in their community.

• 10 projects proposed and delivered by 13–25-year-olds and selected through a competitive vote from young residents will be awarded £29,940 as part of a new grants programme on the theme of belonging.
• The Young People’s Borough of Culture Youth Arts Festival kicks off today with a programme of over 60 free events over 6 venues across the borough of Hammersmith & Fulham.

Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, Hammersmith & Fulham Council, The Earls Court Development Company, DanceWest, Fulham Pier and Hammersmith BID join forces on the Young People’s Borough of Culture, a Where Culture Connects Project creating a unique cross-borough collaboration to support the creative lives of young people aged 13-25 in the borough of Hammersmith & Fulham. Today, the Young People’s Borough of Culture launches the Youth Arts Festival, which will run from Monday 26 - Saturday 31 October 2026 and features a programme of over sixty creative events across six venues tailored specifically to young people in Hammersmith & Fulham.

Headline events in the Youth Arts Festival include a DJ set by RuPaul’s Drag Race UK breakout star BIMINI; a Q&A with India Amarteifio (Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story) and a Musical Theatre Masterclass with Disney Theatrical Group.

Also included in the line-up are free workshops with award-winning creatives including multi-award-winning novelist Cynthia Murphy (Win Lose Kill Die) and comedian Bec Hill, (8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown) and workshops on a huge range of activities including street dance, sculpture, drag, costume design, comedy, poetry, musical theatre writing, crochet, acrobatics, guitar, clowning, manga illustration, improv, K-Pop fan art and animation. All events will take place at local arts venues and community venues across Hammersmith & Fulham.

The festival consists of workshops, training courses, industry panels, and live shows. A number of young artists have received commissions to make work as part of the Youth Arts Festival, including Poet Laureates, young curators, musicians, and more.

Also announced today are 10 young people’s creative projects, which form the result of a public vote by local young people, where creative projects proposed by 13-25 year olds were chosen for funding. A Voting Event took place on 3 October, attended by local young people who cast their votes on the projects they wanted to see funded in their communities. The event featured a wide array of project ideas, representing diverse art forms young people engage with locally, including music production, podcasting, creative writing, theatre-making, photography, local storytelling and more! The projects have a particular focus on experiencing belonging and celebrating local places, communities, and culture. The grantees will be supported by a local champion organisation to deliver their creative idea. The total money that will be awarded in grants is £29,940.

Projects will take place in Hammersmith, Shepherd’s Bush, Fulham and Kensington Olympia, with awardees hailing from Brook Green, Wormholt, Addison, West Kensington, Fulham Town, Fulham Reach, Shepherd’s Bush Green and Wandsworth Town.

The Young People’s Borough of Culture is an ambitious partnership programme aiming for a step change in cultural and creative education across H&F. The programme includes activities by and for young people and support for raising standards of provision including workshops, networks, performances, exhibitions, grant schemes, careers advice and work experience linked to the H&F Pathway Bond. Through the programme, all local young people from across the Borough will have richer cultural lives and better access to good quality careers in our booming innovation economy. The programme is steered by a Youth Board and complemented by routes to recognised accreditation for all participants.

The Young People’s Borough of Culture has been shortlisted for the Programme of the year by the London Youth Awards 2027. The awards ceremony is on Wednesday 4 November 2026.

Michelle Walker, London Area Director, Arts Council England, said
“We’re proud to support Young People’s Borough of Culture through our Place Partnership Fund, giving young people in Hammersmith & Fulham opportunities to explore their creativity, develop skills and shape the cultural life of their borough. We can’t wait to see their ideas come to life and bring people together.”

Councillor Kwon, Cabinet Member for the Environment, Arts and Culture, Hammersmith & Fulham Council said
“H&F’s Young People’s Borough of Culture gives young people the chance to explore, develop new skills and shape projects that matter to them. I’m proud that these initiatives are being led by young people for their communities and will help us build a stronger, safer and kinder borough.”

Harris Bokhari OBE, Chair of the Hammersmith & Fulham Cultural Compact (Where Culture Connects) said
“The Young People’s Borough of Culture is both a celebration of the talent and creativity of our young people, and a chance to build a sustainable new way of working which will support them to develop new skills, benefit from and build stronger connections in their community. We know that young people have great ideas so what could be more important than giving them the opportunity and the tools to bring their cultural plans to life.”

The Young People’s Borough of Culture is supported using public funding by Arts Council England, alongside Hammersmith & Fulham’s King’s Coronation Youth Fund.

Our Place Grantees

The 10 Our Place creatives ideas and young people behind them are

• Alone Together Radio: a new podcast featuring local artists and highlighting local cultural events and opportunities, led by Isla Thorpe
• Growth: a new theatre production exploring the nuances of masculinity, led by Oscar Chandler
• Little Explorers, Big Creators: a seven-week programme bridging science and art, led by Myra Sahdev
• Open Issue Magazine: a climate media community for local learning, making and storytelling, led by Aya Omer
• Queer Mixer Event: monthly events celebrating queer culture through mingling activities, market stalls and open mics, led by Becki Douglass
• Soil Craft Workshops: a series of workshops exploring nature-based making techniques, led by Sakina Barker
• Unbound: a workshop series bringing literature to life through drama, led by Henry Thwaites
• The Young Writers: a facilitated creative writing group for 13–17-year-olds, led by Ava Beeson-Uddin
• Where We Belong: a community photography and storytelling project, led by Ali Habib
• Winter Concert: a steel pan music production and celebration of Caribbean culture, led by Ryshae Harewood

Lyric Hammersmith Theatre

The Lyric Hammersmith Theatre produces bold and relevant world-class theatre from the heart of Hammersmith, the theatre’s home for 130 years. Under the leadership of its joint CEOs, Artistic Director Rachel O’Riordan and Executive Director Matthew Turbett, it is committed to being vital to, and representative of, the local community. A major force in London and UK theatre, the Lyric produces adventurous and acclaimed theatrical work that tells the stories that matter.

The Lyric Hammersmith Theatre has a national reputation for ground-breaking work to develop and nurture the next generation of talent, providing opportunities for young people to discover the power of creativity and to experience the life changing impact of theatre. We are the creative heart of Hammersmith, proud of our history and ambitious for our future.

Website: https://www.lyric.co.uk/

H&F Cultural Compact

Where Culture Connects is a stakeholder partnership supporting cultural development, launched by Hammersmith & Fulham council. It follows the model established by Arts Council England for a cultural compact and brings together leaders from the cultural and creative, private, public, voluntary, education and health sectors to mobilise an ambitious vision and cultural strategy for the Borough. Where Culture Connects is the umbrella for our Destination Management Partnership (VisitH&F), Heritage and Inclusion Partnership and Creative Pathways Partnership, and supports a Cultural Forum of over 80 members dedicated to building capacity of our local cultural and creative industries.

Website: http://www.wherecultureconnects.org.uk

The Earls Court Development Company

The Earls Court Development Company (ECDC) is an Earl’s Court-based business responsible for the transformation of the c.40-acre, former Earls Court Exhibition Centre, site on behalf of the Earls Court Partnership Limited – a joint venture formed in December 2019 between Delancey (on behalf of its client funds), the Dutch pension fund manager APG and Transport for London.

At the end of 2025 ECDC secured the resolutions to grant consent from both the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham and the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, and await the full planning consent following the completion of the S106 and legal processes

The proposals for the site will deliver c.4,000 homes, 12,000 jobs, a hub for climate innovation, three cultural venues and retail and leisure, set within 20 acres of public realm and green space.

The transformational plans for the redevelopment of the site will deliver up to £3 billion a year and 23,500 jobs to the national economy once complete, research by Arup has revealed.

Website: www.earlscourt.com

About DanceWest

Our mission is to engage people of all ages and abilities in high quality dance activity, improve the mental, physical health and wellbeing of all people through dance. We believe that dance enriches lives and is the catalyst for positive change in our community. Simply dance for everyone and everybody. We provide free & low cost dance, health and wellbeing activities co-designed with participants and partners. Transforming the health and wellbeing of vulnerable and diverse communities. Our sole aim is to keep our community healthy and happy by participating in dance.

Website: https://www.dancewest.co.uk/

About Fulham Pier

Set directly on the River Thames between Hammersmith and Putney Bridge, Fulham Pier brings together the very best of London leisure, from dining, culture, wellness and hospitality. Fulham Pier offers a constantly evolving programme of events, from live music, secret film screenings and comedy nights to creative workshops, fitness sessions and family activities. The destination is also home to a critically acclaimed restaurant, elegant cocktail bars and a vibrant riverside food hall, alongside a boutique hotel, an exclusive private members’ club, and Sael Spa, a forthcoming spa with a rooftop pool offering unparalleled views.

Website: https://www.fulhampier.com/

Hammersmith BID

Hammersmith BID has been working for Hammersmith since 2006. A Business Improvement District (BID), we are committed to the growth and transformation of our town centre, the hub of West London. We are a not-for-profit, business-led organisation, working to make Hammersmith a greener, more resilient, more welcoming and desirable place to work, live and visit. Our programme of events and festivals has entertained thousands over the years, helping to forge new partnerships and strengthen our local community.

Website: https://hammersmithbid.co.uk/

About the Place Partnership Fund

The Place Partnership Fund, funded through the National Lottery, was launched by Arts Council England in 2021. By investing in local organisations working in partnership with each other, it aims to make a step-change in the cultural and creative life of local communities. Since 2021, over £40 million has been awarded to over 70 projects around the country. Of these, over 30 are in Priority Places, areas where Arts Council England investment has historically been low. Place Partnership projects have reached over 17 million people so far, giving local communities, especially children and young people, access to high quality creative and cultural experiences on their doorstep and giving them a sense of pride in where they live.