NEW FESTIVAL CELEBRATES CITY’S YOUNG TALENT!

A brand new day festival being held in Peterborough is set to celebrate our region’s most talented young people…

Celebration of Youth Day (CYD) is a fantastic free day festival organised by YMCA Cambridgeshire & Peterborough coming up on Saturday August 20, 10.30am – 7.30pm across Peterborough City Centre. The aim of the festival is to inspire, entertain, and provide a platform for the region’s up and coming generation to share a piece of themselves with the city.

CYD is set to be an event unlike any other. Spreading across three stages and six zones, CYD is the ultimate chance for young people to showcase their talents, skills, and achievements across the arts, sports, academia and enterprise. Across the festival day there’ll be an array of activities and entertainment for young people to have fun with their friends and family; from live music and art to sports activities to shopping and food stalls to employment opportunities, and so much more!

Jonathan Martin, CEO of YMCA Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, said – “It will be such a great opportunity for young people in and around Peterborough to show how amazing they really are. At the YMCA we work with young people to help them develop their skills & talents to reach their full potential and make a lasting, positive impact on our community.”

Rebecca Jackson, CYD Festival Project Manager, said – “I am so excited that we are able to give young people an opportunity and platform of this scale.

“The most unique part of this festival is that it is truly for young people, by young people.

“This is a great way to celebrate the young people of this region and create a positive reflection as we have one of the highest numbers of young people living here in the UK.”

Highlights of the programme include pop-punk superstars, The Endeavour; eleven year old singer-songwriter, Thomas Dunleavy; UK Beatbox champion SkillySkillz; and Peterborough Poet Laureate, Charley Genever.

As well as this, the highly anticipated finals of CYD’s Food Apprentice Competition will be taking place in the food court throughout the day. The Food Apprentice Competition is supported by multi award winning chef, Peterborough’s own Lee Clarke, and will feature ten aspiring food entrepreneurs serving their own unique business ideas to the festival crowd. The winner will receive dinner for two at Prévost, a cash prize, and the opportunity to make their food business dream a reality through support and mentoring from Lee and a team of food experts.

If that wasn’t enough, the festival will be live-screened on a giant LED screen situated in Cathedral Square, which will also be linked up to Facebook and Twitter for people to share their experiences of the day. CYD’s hosts, Charley Genever and SkillySkillz will be working with PCR FM’s youth radio show to interview acts, organisations, and festival goers throughout the day.

Rebecca said – “The YMCA feel that it’s really important to continue nurturing young people and offering opportunities like this to inspire and drive aspiration. This is the first festival of its kind, and we are working towards making it an annual event in the city, so we’d love as much support in making this first Celebration of Youth Day go off with a bang!”

Celebration of Youth Day takes place in Peterborough City Centre on Saturday August 20, from 10.30am. Entry is free and it is guaranteed to be a glorious, vibrant and youthful day. If you would like more information on the line-up, activities, or how to get involved, visit the YMCA’s website or social media pages.