Express Yourself: North East Festival of Languages – the UK’s largest celebration of languages for schools – returns from 6 January to 31 March 2026, bringing a vibrant mix of free live and online events, creative projects and activities for schools across the North East of England.
The festival is now entering its sixth year and is bigger than ever after North East Mayor Kim McGuinness provided funding to expand it to reach even more schools, community schools and groups and celebrate the region’s rich mix of languages and cultures, showcasing creativity, inclusion and global outlook.
Designed for 3–18 year-olds, the Festival inspires curiosity, intercultural understanding and confidence in communication – helping young people prepare for an increasingly interconnected world.
More than 400 schools and 94,000 children and young people took part in Festival activities in 2025 and the organisers expect even greater participation this year, with a much bigger programme offering an even greater variety of events and activities.
From multilingual art, dance and writing workshops to language and careers sessions, competitions, and university campus experiences, the 2026 programme will bring languages to life in fun, creative and accessible ways.
Part-funded by the North East Combined Authority via a grant to Newcastle City Council and coordinated by International Newcastle, the Festival programme is delivered through a partnership of more than 50 local, regional, national and international organisations and embodies the North East’s commitment to diversity, opportunity and education.
Kim McGuinness, North East Mayor
I’m proud that we are supporting Express Yourself 2026 and the opportunities it brings for our young people. Across the villages and towns of the North East, our schools are full of potential – bright, curious minds ready to explore the world. This programme will help raise aspirations, nurture talent, and prepare the next generation – from our smallest village schools to our largest city academies – for a diverse, global society.
“By inspiring a love of languages and learning, we’re breaking down barriers, opening our kids’ eyes to the whole world from an early age, and ensuring that every child can take their place on the global stage with pride and ambition.
Declan Baharini, Festival Coordinator
Our packed three-month Festival programme encourages children and young people across the North East to build their skills and confidence. It will nurture their curiosity and understanding about the diverse languages and cultures around them and the region’s connections to the wider world.
Participating in the Festival inspires children and young people to study and progress languages at school and build intercultural understanding and awareness, which opens doors to wider education and career opportunities.
The full festival programme is free and open to all schools and community schools across Newcastle, Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Gateshead, Sunderland and Durham. Schools across the UK can join a range of online events and activities. Schools internationally are welcome to join in Festival activities with their North East and UK partners, as well as getting involved in ‘Together we Fly’, a world friendship art project.
2026 Festival Highlights include:
- The opportunity to explore languages through fun activities, such as sports with Futbol Lingo, a mini-Olympics with Newcastle University Sport and music in a live rock gig with Munich Supercrew
- Creative multilingual projects which enable children and young people across the region to express themselves through music, art and writing and share their own recipes from around the world
- Competitions in French (Crêpe design), Spanish (Spanish Omelette design) and German (Karneval Masks)
- Classroom activities for children aged from 3 – 18 years with teaching resources relating to different languages and countries – with films, quizzes, games, storytelling and more
- Languages and Careers webinars, events and resources to inspire young people to progress with languages
- World languages and cultures – activities, events and resources, including exploring the Arab World, Japan, China, South Asia, Africa, South America and more
- Live lessons with Durham, Newcastle and Northumbria universities exploring different languages and cultures
Teachers are invited to explore the programme with advance registrations now open for Festival events running between January and March 2026 – click here to see the What’s On Programme and click here to download the full programme of activities.
Teachers’ quotes from the 2025 Festival
“All the amazing activities and opportunities on offer during the Festival provide a fantastic chance for children to appreciate and soak up other cultures, opens their minds to other lifestyles and possibilities of travel and work in other countries. Excellent!”
Emma Kemp, St. Teresa’s Catholic Primary School, Newcastle
“It’s a great way to encourage our children to engage in other cultures and languages and to kick start future Modern Foreign Languages planning. Thank you again NE festival of Languages for all your hard work.”
Jackie Lombard, Wingate Primary School, Wingate, County Durham
“The range of activities and resources have been excellent. The events being free mean that we have been able to offer opportunities to students who otherwise would not have had access to these rich, cultural experiences.”
Ashleigh Jane Power, Cardinal Hume Catholic School, Gateshead
“The activities provided have helped our school to enjoy learning languages and has provided new experiences and opportunities for the children.”
Lucy Banner, Chilton Academy, County Durham
“It has been a good way to not only get the kids involved but also get the whole school thinking a bit more about languages.”
Hannah Juby, Express Language, Durham
“There was a wide range of activities to choose from. As well as having activities on over a few months allows schools the to choose activities to suit the curriculum as well.”
Rachel Dangerfield, Broadwood Primary School, Newcastle
Key facts
About the Festival
Express Yourself: North East Festival of Languages is the UK’s largest festival of languages for schools. It celebrates linguistic and cultural diversity, encourages creative expression, and inspires the next generation of global citizens. Through free events, workshops and projects, the festival helps young people develop confidence, collaboration, and communication skills, supporting their education and future employability.
Open to schools across the North East of England, with selected activities open to schools across the UK and internationally.
- Festival dates: 6 January – 31 March 2026
- Advance bookings open: November 2025
- The full Festival programme is FREE and open to schools and community schools across the North East Combined Authority area (Newcastle, Northumberland, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Gateshead, Durham and Sunderland), with a range of activities and events also open to schools across the UK.
- Participants (2025): Over 94,000 children and young people from 400+ schools
Media contact: news@expressyourselfne.com
About the North East Combined Authority
The North East Combined Authority was formed on 7 May 2024. It is led by an Elected Mayor Kim McGuinness and Cabinet and covers the seven local authority areas of County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside and Sunderland
This project was part-funded by the North East Combined Authority
