South Tyneside schools invited to North East Festival of Languages, the UK’s largest festival of languages for schools which returns bigger than ever

The festival is now entering its sixth year and is bigger than ever after North East Mayor Kim McGuinness provided funding enabling it 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.

Celebrating the region’s rich mix of languages and cultures, the Festival showcases creativity, inclusion and global outlook. Designed for children and young people aged 3–18, 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 events in 2025, and organisers expect even greater participation this year.

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 co-ordinated 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 said: “I’m proud that we are supporting Express Yourself: North East Festival of Languages 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, Express Yourself: North East Festival of Languages Co-ordinator added: “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 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, writing and world recipes
• 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 exploring the Arab World, Japan, China, South Asia, Africa and South America
• 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 https://expressyourselfne.com/whatson/