Spanish festival events, activities and resources

Spanish is an increasingly popular language being taught and learned in schools in the North East and is a global language.

Provided below are links to a wide range of in-person and online events, a competition, creative projects and activities in the Festival programme, where Spanish is the main feature or can be your focus of participation.

At the end of the page you can find information about a national competition and celebrations which can include Spanish, as well as resources and support for Spanish language learning and teaching that are available from the Spanish Embassy Education Office.

Spanish-specific competition, events and activities in the Festival

¡Cocina y Crea! Spanish Omelette Recipe Challenge (KS2-3) 6th Jan-6th February

For NE schools (KS2-3): Pupils design a Spanish Omelette and describe it in Spanish. Resource pack provided. Two school winners attend an awards ceremony on 9th March at Northumbria University.

Spanish language and careers webinar with Spanish Embassy Education Office 9.30-10.15am on 3rd March

NE & UK secondary schools/6th forms: Inspire pupils to progress with Spanish and find out about the benefits of learning languages and the future opportunities learning Spanish brings.

The Spanish Apprentice Y10 Tourism Challenge 4th March, Bishop Auckland

NE Y10 Spanish learners: Teams of 5 pupils work with Durham University students on a Bishop Auckland tourism marketing challenge and deliver a pitch in Spanish to a judging panel.

Lingua Cub’s Super Spanish! 4 online sessions: 9.30-10am on Fridays 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th March

For UK schools (ages 3-7): Join Lingua Cub for four lively online Spanish sessions. Discover Spanish with fun games, songs and interactive activities. Activity pack and recordings available

Afro-Ecuadorian Fairytales at the Multilingual Library 1.30-2.30pm on 4th, 11th, 25th Feb, 11th March

For NE KS2-3 pupils: An engaging event (English/Spanish) bringing fairytales to life and learning about the importance of traditions and knowledge in different cultures. With teaching resources.

Y12 French, German, Spanish interactive language activities 2-4pm on 18th March in Newcastle

For NE schools Year 12 French, German, Spanish: Join in oral practice, listening comprehension tasks, introductory interpreting taster tasks and meet University language students sharing experiences of their year abroad.

Ursa Lingua’s Spanish Surprise KS2 live lesson online 9.30-10.15am 19th March

For UK schools KS2: Join Ursa Lingua the language bear for a fun-filled online Spanish lesson. Children will explore Spanish through games, challenges and feast-themed activities. With activity pack. Recording available.

Languages and careers in football (KS3-5) 9.30-12, 1-3.30pm on 31st March at Northumbria University

NE schools (KS3-5): Inspiring workshops to encourage pupils to progress with languages. Football themed motivational talk, practical and fun classroom language and footballing activities.

Afro-Ecuadorian Fairytales resources (English/Spanish) Available 6 Jan-31 March

For UK schools, youth and community groups: Resources in English and Spanish bringing Afro-Ecuadorian fairytales to life, learning about the importance of traditions and knowledge in different cultures.

Spanish Cinema in the Classroom (KS4-5) Available 6 January to 31 March

For KS4-5 UK schools: Teachers can access recent Spanish films for classroom screenings. English subtitles and teaching guides provided to ensure pupils’ Spanish learning is enhanced through this engaging and motivating activity.

Spanish Teachers’ Day at Newcastle University 14th March 2026

For teachers and future teachers of Spanish in the North East at all levels. A lively day of presentations and practical ideas for the Spanish class, with a Spanish lunch.

Languages and careers in football webinar with Pierce Kiembi, Futbol Lingo (KS2-5) 10.30-11.15am on 6th March

NE & UK schools (KS2-5): Join Futbol Lingo’s motivational webinar, using football to inspire a generation of future linguists and open perspectives on the range of careers in football.

Multilingual projects, events and activities where Spanish language and culture can be explored

Sing, sign and play the Festival Song: Love is the Only River 6th January to 31st March

North East schools and groups (ages 7-18) are invited to sign, sign, play, perform and film different language versions of the song: ‘Love is the only river’. Compilation video of performances will be shared.

Together we fly! World Friendship origami project 6th January to 31st March

North East schools, community schools, schools internationally (ages 5-18). Children and young people will create colourful origami butterflies with messages of friendship and be part of our public art exhibition.

Mother Tongue Other Tongue poetic writing project 6th January to 31st March 2025

Children and young people (ages 7-18) in NE schools/community schools are invited to share poems in their home language or write an original piece of poetry in a language they are learning. Compilation in a digital anthology.

Language Calligrams Celebration and workshop activity 6th January to 31st March

NE schools (7-9 and 9-11 year olds): Create calligrams in any language (other than English) based on words children already know. School certificates for all and ebook with selected entries.

World Recipe Book: exploring food and cultural heritage 6th Jan to 31st March

NE schools, youth and community groups: Share recipes in languages (other than English) and why these are important to different cultures. Digital recipe book will include selected entries.

Language Student Immersion at Durham University (KS5) Flexible dates 12th January to 6th March

For North East KS5 language learners: Half-day programmes for 2 pupils per visit, who will meet language students and do task-based activities in languages they study or take at degree level.

Language and culture sessions (Careers with Languages option) Flexible dates Feb-March

For NE KS2-KS5 pupils (7-18): 30-45 min online or 2-hour in-person sessions (with an option for a Careers with Languages session) at Newcastle University Language Resource Centre

Primary school games & stories at the Multilingual Library Flexible bookings in March

For North East primary schools: Children will enjoy a library tour, games, quizzes and stories using our many books and celebrate diverse cultures and languages around the world.

Creative multilingualism (KS4) 12.30-3pm on 19th March at Newcastle University

For NE schools (Year 10-11): An interactive workshop for pupils using languages they speak (to whatever level) to gain confidence in expressing multilingualism creatively, with translation, creative writing and language-learning.

Multilingual Poetry Slam (KS3-5) 9.30am-3pm on 27th March at Newcastle Civic Centre

NE and Tees Valley schools (KS3-5): Join Michaël Vidon and a team of Spoken Word Artists to experience a day of multilingual poetry. Pupils will create and perform group poems in multiple languages.

Ursa Lingua’s Castle Quest Escape Room Adventure Available 6 Jan-31 Mar

For KS2 7-11 years, UK schools: Help polar bear, Ursa Lingua, escape the castle using the power of languages and the magic of teamwork! An exciting language adventure with interactive resources.

Multilingual Me: Exploring and celebrating languages in pupils’ lives (KS2) 6 Jan-31 March

For UK primary schools (KS2): Lesson and materials to help pupils’ explore languages, celebrate linguistic diversity and learn about multilingualism and migration in the context of their classroom and community.

Language Treasures at GNM 10am-2pm 4th March; self-guided activities all March

For NE schools (KS2-3): Book hands-on workshops exploring galleries through a linguistic lens and connecting across cultures or use teacher-led resourced activities throughout March.

National competitions where Spanish can feature

Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators (deadline 27 Mar)

UK schools register to access creative translation teaching resources in French, German, Italian, Mandarin, Russian and Spanish. Competition tasks released 2 Feb, deadline 27 Mar.

Celebrate Speaking! UK schools 1st-28th February 2025

UK schools: Practice and celebrate a language your students learn or use in their community and take part in the virtual festival of speaking in by sharing performances online.

Multilingual Verses Entries open with various deadlines to 2027

UK schools: Share your children’s multilingual texts, verses and nursery rhymes and encourage family involvement and intergenerational learning. Entries and resources are shared.

Resources and support available from the Spanish Embassy Education Office

The Spanish Embassy Education Office provides a wide range of education resources and support for the teaching and learning of Spanish.

Click here to download or view the Spanish Embassy Education Department’s offer to schools and teachers. This includes information and links about the wide offer of teaching and learning materials and resources, CPD opportunities and support available to teachers of Spanish in the UK. The offer includes Spanish Cultural Days resources for primary and secondary, primary songs, Post 16 support and teaching resources, Spanish Days in schools, promotional materials and posters, journals for Spanish teachers with educational, cultural, and teaching resources, digital platforms (audio-visual and digital library), awards for top students, as well as teacher training opportunities in the UK, online and immersion and pedagogical courses in Spain.

Spanish Cultural Days resources

These Cultural Days materials are aimed at teachers and their primary and secondary students and are designed for Key Stage 2 to 5. They are offered in Spanish, French and German and tailored to different Key Stages. They include, for each language:

Language taster sessions for primary and secondary levels in French, Spanish and German offering a first glimpse of each language. These can be run by language teachers or teachers/students with intermediate/advanced knowledge of the language. Each taster session contains a Powerpoint presentation, Teacher’s Lesson plan and worksheets.
Cultural exploration/performance sessions offering an insight into Spanish country’s culture and prompts for a final student performance (e.g. a song or poem in a foreign language) or presentation (e.g. artwork, history). Sessions cover topics such as sports, arts, music, history, food and many more. Each cultural exploration/performance session contains a Powerpoint presentation, Teacher’s Lesson plan and worksheets.
Language and culture quiz with ideas and tips for a language exchange: Designed for secondary schools, the quiz takes students through French, Spanish and German speaking regions and cultures and offers a fun and engaging opportunity to compete against peers, learn about other cultures and win some prizes. Additionally, our ideas for a language exchange go beyond French, Spanish and German and encourage students to engage with the diverse range of languages they are surrounded by.

Each resource is accompanied by a detailed teaching guide for the teacher, as well as more ideas and tips to create a memorable, fun and creative celebration that addresses language and cultural aspects for the entire educational community. You do not need to be a language teacher to lead the sessions. The material is also aimed at the A1 level of each language. KS5 students can even be encouraged to lead the “Cultural Days” sessions.

The resources have been designed in partnership by the Spanish Embassy Education Office, the National Consortium for Language Education, the Goethe Institut and the Institut français.