Save the date for I Am Festival 2027
We are very excited to announce that this year’s I Am festival will be held at the Tate Modern between Wednesday 17 March – Friday 19 March 2027.
Following the success of last year’s festival, we are partnering with Tate to celebrate the creativity of d/Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent young people across London. We invite you and the young people you work with to connect with peers from other settings and explore what can happen in this world-class gallery.
This year our theme will be... Time!
We will be commissioning artists and schools to create exciting new activities that explore ideas around the theme of time. From telling time to Crip Time, we’re keen to hear from SEN specialist teachers to think about what time and creativity means for you and your learners.
Sign up to our I Am Network to keep up to date with our festival and CPD opportunities.
Bookings will be open in early November.
Artist Commissions - EOI
We are inviting Expressions of Interest (EOI) for artistic commissions that will contribute directly to both in-school student workshops and to the festival itself, exploring ideas around this theme. The festival week will be co-created with Tate and the brilliant I Am Network and fantastic cohort of Cultural Ambassadors.
The deadline for EOI submissions is 12pm on Wednesday 14 October. Download the briefs to find out more.
Collaborative Installation EOI - PDF
Collaborative Installation EOI - Easy Read
Performance/Procession EOI - PDF
Performance/Procession EOI - Easy Read
If you have any questions regarding the process or would like to discuss your ideas further, please contact Deborah Hogan: deborah.hogan@anewdirection.org.uk
For over a decade, the festival has provided a platform for hundreds of young people to showcase their talents, leadership, ideas and opinions.
Each festival has a theme:
- In 2023 the theme was Activism
- In 2024 the theme was See Me, Hear Me
- In 2025, we celebrated our 10th anniversary in partnership with Tate Modern, Young V&A and AFK where we explored the theme of Make Some Noise
- In 2026 the theme was Journeys
Relive I Am Festival 2026 with this special audio-visual report from Parag Vajir.
