Young Hustlers: Sunday 25 October 2026
Young Hustlers, Nottingham’s vibrant city family arts festival, will go ahead next month (25 October) with a full programme after securing last-minute funding.
The Arts Council England (ACE) lifeline will allow the festival to build on its track record of creating creative opportunities for young people and families in Nottingham.
Every year, the festival provides free tickets to hundreds of families from some of the city’s most deprived communities to ensure everyone can benefit from the creative arts and music on offer. The festival is designed to be affordable for all families and to bring communities together in the heart of Nottingham.
Festival director Ben Welch said:
“We’re over the moon to have secured last minute funding from the Arts Council and Nottingham City Council to make Young Hustlers happen again. Next year is our 10th anniversary and it wouldn’t have been the same without it.
“We’re hyped to bring the festival to Sneinton Market again and the programme is brimming with all sorts of brilliance from gospel choir sessions to international theatre shows to Bhangra dance workshops and our Mash It Up Mural! Roll on the Hustle!”
Now in its ninth year, this year’s Young Hustlers Mash It Up theme will celebrate hybrid identities and cultural fusion, bringing together different musical genres, art forms, cultural traditions and communities across Sneinton Market and partner venues.
Brazilian dance, genre-mashing DJ workshops, food workshops from Foragers Kitchen, Curious Cardboard City, Bhangra dance workshops, Family Gospel Choir sessions, the popular Lego Club, circus skills and an inclusive community parade led by IMPACD CIC alongside the annual Can Samba parade are just some of the fantastic activities available to families.
Young people involved in the schools and community projects will also have the opportunity to share their creative work as part of the festival day.
In 2025, the festival saw Djanogly City Academy students create and perform original music after working with professional artists. More than 30 young people took part in music sessions culminating in a performance to packed audiences of proud parents at the festival.
This year, the workshops are taking place at Djanogly City Academy and Farnborough Spencer Academy. Led by DJ Fever and singer/songwriter Omari Marsalis – who won the chance to open Splendour this year – the students will explore the art of sampling, songwriting, and performance.
They will learn to deconstruct songs from different genres and reconstruct them into original mash-ups featuring their own vocal performances. Through rap, singing, or spoken word, they’ll discover how a mash-up of genres can be the key to their own musical expression.
The participants will also record a track at Pirate Studios and will be signposted to Notts Music Hub, Circle of Light and Take One Studios, building clear routes into the creative industries.
Accessibility also remains a key part of Young Hustlers, with the festival working with MENCAP and its Access Lead to create a welcoming environment for SEN and neurodivergent families. Calm spaces and activities including Lego Club will form part of this year’s festival.
A special SEN performance of A Message for the Future by Crescendorious will also take place. Designed for early years audiences aged 0-3 and their families, the multi-sensory art installation and gig theatre experience combines live music, storytelling, sound, touch, sight and smell. A perfect chance to catch this show for those who missed the sold out run at Lakeside.
The production was commissioned by artsdepot and Southbank Centre’s Imagine Festival in 2025, where it played to sold-out audiences. Set design and costumes are by internationally renowned set designer and concept artist Xander Lo Lo Noble, who has worked with Lady Gaga, Björk and MTV.
Young Hustlers is also continuing to develop creative pathways for young people through its Young Producers programme. Ione Vaughan, who first became involved with Young Hustlers in 2024, progressed through the programme to become an Assistant Producer, taking on increased responsibility across programming and festival delivery.
Ione said:
“I first started as a volunteer, helping to programme the activities in one of the venues and managing the venue on the day. The following year, I was brought on as an intern, where I learned the ropes of what it really takes to make a festival like this happen, particularly in supporting the street performance programme.
“The skills and knowledge I gained from my previous years have really helped me to hit the ground running with my new role, with the Hustle team giving me a wonderful balance of independence, responsibility and support. I cannot thank the team enough for the opportunities they have given me, which have really helped me to become a more skilled, resilient and creative freelancer.”
The 2026 project will continue this pathway by connecting young people involved in the schools project with professional creative opportunities and organisations working across Nottingham’s cultural sector.
The 2025 evaluation by Nottingham Trent University found that Young Hustlers had created meaningful creative opportunities for young people.
Free tickets distributed through community projects helped remove cost barriers and supported engagement with families from St Ann’s and surrounding communities.
This year’s festival is part of a wider programme of activity building towards Young Hustlers’ 10th anniversary in 2027.
It all takes place on the same day as the multi venue music and arts festival, Hockley Hustle. Music is also a big appeal for Young Hustlers attendees, with many parents enjoying the chance to sample both festivals taking place in Nottingham.
Young Hustler tickets for adults aged 18+ are £12.10 including booking fees and must be purchased alongside a child ticket. Child tickets for those aged 2 to 17 are £4.40 including booking fees.
For tickets, go to https://www.gigantic.com/hockley-hustle-tickets/nottingham-various-nottingham-venues/2026-10-25-11-00https://www.gigantic.com/hockley-hustle-tickets/nottingham-various-nottingham-venues/2026-10-25-11-00
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Posted on 29 September 2026
