Youth Arts Jamboree 2026 to showcase arts opportunities for young people

Gibraltar Cultural Services, on behalf of the Ministry for Culture, has announced the 2026 Youth Arts Jamboree, a two-month programme of events in February and March aimed at inspiring young people to engage with the arts and the wider cultural sector.

The programme will include gallery and street art tours, cultural competitions, a Mayor’s Open Day, World Book Day activities and a range of literary, music, dance and interactive workshops. A new feature this year will be a Youth Saturday in town, bringing together young performers alongside the Gibraltar Football Association’s Playmakers initiative.

The Minister for Equality, Employment, Culture and Tourism, Christian Santos, said: “I am a firm supporter of any event that celebrates and promotes the arts, and especially, as in this case, aimed at inspiring young people to join in. I’m sure this year’s Jamboree programme will prove as popular as in previous years.”

As part of the Jamboree, historian, author and quizmaster Christopher Lloyd will run the Britannica Competition, an interactive quiz for students aged between eight and 14, with heats culminating in a grand final offering prize money for both pupils and their schools.

Art tours will centre on the GEMA Gallery at Montagu Bastion, which is marking its tenth anniversary with a curation featuring International Art winners and other works, alongside interactive activities for visiting schools. Specialised tours of street art in Gibraltar’s city centre will explore artistic inspiration and site-specific challenges within the context of the Rock’s urban landscape, with opportunities also available to visit the John Mackintosh Hall Library and the Mario Finlayson National Gallery.
A Mayor’s City Hall Open Day will offer pupils a chance to meet the Mayor, Nicholas Guerrero, and Deputy Mayor, Andrea Simpson, learn about the mayor’s civic role and the history of the City Hall, and visit the Mario Finlayson National Gallery. The Open Day is being organised directly with local schools.

World Book Day 2026 will again be hosted at the John Mackintosh Hall, with celebrations on Thursday March 5 based on the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books by author Rick Riordan. Schoolchildren will take part in movement and expression workshops, craft sessions and storytelling led by John Mackintosh Hall Library volunteers, with an additional public interactive storytelling session delivered by GAMPA.

A light painting photography workshop, inspired by the Percy Jackson and the Olympians theme, will be held at the Fine Arts Gallery on February 24 from 5pm to 6.30pm. Aimed at art and photography students aged 12 to 18, it will focus on creative photography using light and offer participants a chance to express themselves creatively in a different way.

The Fine Arts Gallery will also host a Teddy Repair Workshop on Wednesday February 18 during mid-term week, from 11am to 12.30pm. The session is open to children aged six and over, with those under 10 required to be accompanied by an adult.

A Light and Sound Workshop delivered by experienced theatre technicians will explore the art and science of stage lighting and sound for those aged 14 and over who are interested in the creative performance industry.

The Jamboree will also highlight young literary talent, with a book launch by young writer Sheridan Povedano, who was selected for the Gibraltar Cultural Services young writing initiative in 2025. Ms Povedano will self-publish a collection of poems following a year of engagement with the local literary scene and mentoring by established writers and poets.

A new Yanito Community Project will invite individuals, groups and organisations to propose artistic and cultural projects that celebrate Gibraltar’s bilingual language, Yanito.

Youth Saturday on February 21, 2026, will see entertainment across Main Street and Casemates Square, including performances by DJ Nihal, Waves, GAMPA, the 1st / 4th Scouts Band and young members of the Musicians Association of Gibraltar.

The Gibraltar Football Association’s Playmakers initiative will form part of Youth Saturday at Casemates, offering young girls a fun and safe introduction to football through Disney storytelling, using the story of The Incredibles.

The Gibraltar Festival for Young Musicians will run from February 1 to 7, with classes in piano, brass, woodwind, percussion, vocal, strings and a Pop and Rock category. Competitive sections across Infant, Junior, Intermediate and Senior categories will offer trophies and medals, with entries open for solos, duets, ensembles and choirs.

The Gibraltar International Dance Festival, now in its twenty-fourth year, will take place at the John Mackintosh Hall Theatre from March 3 to 7, showcasing a range of dance styles across age categories, with prizes awarded.

The Sovereign Young Artist Competition, run in collaboration with the Sovereign Trust, will be open to Gibraltarians and residents attending school in years 9 to 13 or college equivalent, as well as young Gibraltarian artists aged up to 24. The finalists’ exhibition will be held at the Gustavo Bacarisas Gallery in Casemates from March 18 to 27, with full entry details available on www.culture.gi. Awards include the Ministry of Culture Award of £1,000.

Other arts-related workshops and sessions will be delivered in conjunction with the Gibraltar Youth Service and the Scouts and Guides Gibraltar. The Gibraltar Photographic Society will again support the Jamboree by running photographic sessions for interested groups.

For more information on the Youth Arts Jamboree 2026, contact the Gibraltar Cultural Services Development Unit on 20041839 or email development@culture.gov.gi.