ARTISTS

We can’t wait to welcome you to Kingston in July. The International Youth Arts Festival attracts a friendly audience of many thousands, who return year after year. This year is our 10th anniversary and promises to be bigger and better than ever before.

Just a quick note for those who are interested in general application info: There are no venue hire fees at the International Youth Arts Festival. All selected applicants are programmed into a venue by our Festival team – from the main auditorium at Kingston’s Rose Theatre to intimate studio spaces and the outdoor stage.

Successful applicants must pay a registration fee of £150 – or £100 for early applicants. Unsuccessful applicants do not pay a fee. Read the 2018 Application Guidelines for the full festival benefits, terms and conditions.

For those of you who are participants in this year’s festival, which runs from 6th-15th July 2018, we hope the below information will be helpful.

You are encouraged to promote your show around Kingston during the festival and to share posts on social media. Please tag us using the accounts below and we will endeavour to reshare.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

We have created Facebook events for all events on the IYAF page so please find your event and request to co-host this so that you can post updates as the page. You can find your event here: IYAF Facebook

There are also promotional opportunities in the Bentall shopping centre and on Clarence Street in central Kingston during the festival. Please contact marketing@iyafestival.org.uk to register interest.

There are several events going on during IYAF which include guest performances. These include the Opening Night gala on 6th July and the Carnival parade on 8th July.

Carnival Parade Information – Kingston Welcomes the World

The Carnival procession starts at 2pm on 8^th July in the Market Square near festival stage (see map). We will then take a slow walk from the Market Place along Church Street to Clarence Street and back. The procession will be managed by IYAF staff on the day so please be ready to listen out for instructions as we go.  If you would like to join in please be fully ready at the assembly point behind the festival stage by 1.40pm at the latest so that we can be somewhat organised and ready to start by 2pm. The final performance order will be decided on the day.

We encourage all companies to come along and promote your show by handing out flyers or performing short extracts of your work. The event is a parade so you will need to walk and perform/flyer at the same time and will be surrounded by other performers also promoting their shows so the whole event is likely to be a bit wild – but hopefully also memorable, fun and productive. Please let us know if you plan to be there though and how many carnival performers are coming from your company, an idea of what you will be wearing and carrying and what you plan to do as we go i.e. flyer, sing, juggle etc. There will be a couple of powerful music/dance ensembles in the line up so they will set the pace and rhythm of the event.

We will bring some water but please also bring water for yourselves (especially if it’s hot!) and take care of your valuables. There are no changing facilities provided so please come completely ready to go.

Busking (Street Performing)

We may have further opportunities for flyering and performing excerpts from shows outdoors in the Eden Walk shopping Centre and possibly in Clarence Street in Kingston town centre throughout the dates of the festival.

Please let us know if you are interested in this including as specifically as you can ideally what you would like to do, what times and dates you would want, what equipment you would bring for your performance, how may performers there would be and what performing area you would need.. No dressing rooms can be provided so you would need to come ready to perform with all your equipment ready. Please assume that there are no sources of electricity at these sites.

Please email Clare at events@creativeyouthcharity.org if you would like to get involved with either of these opportunities.

This year we will, for the first time, have a Festival Hub at Kingston College’s Creative Industries Centre (CIC). It’s located at 55 Richmond Road, KT2 5BP. Here you can meet other artists, register on first arrival and access WiFi/computers if required.

When promoting your show, please refer to the Festival as the International Youth Arts Festival, Kingston or IYAF. The official website is iyafestival.org.uk. All printed promotional material should include the IYAF logo and the relevant venue logo. You can download these here.

You should have received all the venue technical information and requirements for your venue. If you have specific questions please contact our production manager Sarah on technical@iyafestival.org.uk

Every participating artist/crew member will receive a Festival wristband. This grants them free access to other IYAF events and productions, though please note entry can only be confirmed 10 minutes before the start of the performance. You will be issued your wristband(s) on arrival.

Please go and support other artists performing at the festival – there are over 200 events to go and see!

Every participating artist/crew member will receive a Festival wristband. This grants them free access to other IYAF events and productions, though please note entry can only be confirmed 10 minutes before the start of the performance. You will be issued your wristband(s) on arrival.