YFS ART FESTIVAL & STUDENT EXPERIENCE

This year’s Art Festival aims to showcase the creative talents of young artists from all over the world, whilst also providing a space for YFS attendees to relax, unwind, and explore their imaginative abilities! This year’s theme focuses on the idea of ‘BLOOM’, exploring the capacity of humans (and the world around us) to grow, change, and flourish as we become the best versions of ourselves. We will be exhibiting paintings created by youth in regards to our theme, from submission of global schools. Our workshops this year will focus on 5 main activities: gelli painting, sustainable tie dye, candle decorating, pipe cleaner floral creations, and collaborative paint by numbers — with more information on each below. We hope to see you join us, and give you the opportunity to unleash your creativity, whilst also exploring the stunning pieces created by other young artists!

Gelli Printing Workshop

Gelli painting is a fun and quick art technique, using a gelli plate, acrylic paint and various layering techniques, incorporating objects such as leaves, magazine pages, stencils, and more. Hosted by artist Kate Whitehurst, the workshop will allow its participants to experiment with a unique and unconventional art style and create their own special piece (which they will then be able to take home)!

Sustainable Tie-Dye

This tie-dye aims to prompt sustainable creativity and also create your own unique piece of clothing, that can then be kept and worn forever. Furthermore, if you want your tie-dye piece to have a deeper meaning, you can use various interpretations of what different colours signify using the provided charts!

Candle Decorating

Unleash your creativity and bring light to your imagination at our Candle Decorating Workshop! This year’s Bloom theme invites you to explore growth, color, and renewal through art. Join us at the YFS Art Festival for a hands-on experience where you can design and decorate your own candle using vibrant wax. Let your imagination bloom as you craft floral patterns, abstract textures, or bright layers that reflect your personal style. No experience is needed—just enthusiasm and a willingness to create something truly unique. When finished, you’ll take home your glowing masterpiece as a symbol of creativity in full bloom.

Pipe Cleaner Floral Creations

This workshop seeks to create a small keepsake for you to take home, and remember the Art Festival for years to come. Using pipe cleaners and your imagination, create your wildest floral desires in connection with this year’s theme of ‘Bloom’! If you get tired of the flower you’ve made or are simply looking for a bit more fun, take it apart and create something new! 

ColLaborative Paint By numbers

Come by and leave your mark on the collaborative, handmade paint-by-numbers canvas at the art festival! Each person who comes by to visit during the day will be able to be a part of something larger, and the final product will be hung up in the school halls for the years to come, as a reminder of the fun, creativity, and relaxation that we built at the YFS Art Festival 2026. In connection with the theme of Bloom, the design will explore the ideas of growth, change, and beauty. Stop by and leave a little bit of an impact, as a part of something bigger!