Nottingham Family Festival Young Hustlers Aims to Ignite The Flames of Creativity

Sunday 22 October 2023

Circus skills, drumming, dance, street art, family raves, lego club and DJ workshops are all on offer at Young Hustlers, the music and arts festival designed for young people, which runs alongside the main Hockley Hustle on Sunday 22 October.

The annual festival has a full programme of amazing activities running throughout the day in 12 venues around Sneinton Market and Hockley. This year’s festival is bigger than ever, boasting exciting partnerships with more than 10 leading arts, cultural and community organisations from across Nottingham including Freedom Arts, Bustler, Dizzy Ink, Nonsuch Studios, Marcus Garvey Centre, Surface Gallery, City Arts, Fabric and the Brazilian Cultural Centre.

Working with It’s In Nottingham, festival organisers are also giving away 200 free tickets to families in need to enable them to access the festival without cost being a barrier. These can be requested by emailing the festival director Ben Welch (ben@hockleyhustle.co.uk) 

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip hop, Young Hustlers will have the opportunity to learn how to DJ with the legendary DJ Fever, who has been scratching for 20 years, and go behind-the-scenes with renowned hip hop producer Joe Bhuhda in the Can’t Stop Won’t Stop studio. 

Festival attendees can explore the world of street art with a graffiti workshop led by artist and streetwear designer, Simeon Hartwig at Dizzy Ink, and learn the art of popping, a popular style of street dance with award-winning dancer and dance teacher, Taiwo Bamiduro.

From the iconic Big Fish Little Fish rave and Lego Club to circus skills, Djembe drumming sessions and creative arts, Young Hustlers offers a diverse range of activities for children and young people up to 16-years-old. Hustlers can also immerse themselves in the vibrant world of Brazilian dance, and enjoy showcases of live music with a sing-a-long gig with Johnny and the Raindrops at Bustler, and discover emerging musical talent from youth organisations such as SEND Notts and Beatknots.

Young Hustlers director Saziso Phiri said: “This festival is dedicated to igniting the flames of creativity in children, young people and families, and promises to be an unforgettable experience that brings communities from across the city together.”

Freedom Arts, the community arts organisation based in St. Ann’s, has been hard at work delivering a series of engaging workshops designed for children and families, making flags for the festival. Designed to encourage more families to get involved, they have been a great success, with more than 80 families taking part. 

One more public workshop open to all is set to take place at The Vine Community Centre on the eve of the festival on 21 October, from 12.30-2pm. Places are limited and secured on a first come first served and capacity basis.

Freedom Arts founder, Coleen Francis, said: “Having delivered art-based workshops on the day of the festival with Young Hustlers from its inception, I noticed that families from ethnic minority and low-income backgrounds were not participating. These new workshops have brought awareness of the festival and opened up opportunities for these members of the community to be involved. The flags created during the workshops will be on display across Sneinton Market, showcasing the vibrant artistic talents of the community. The participation has involved 80 families who would not normally come to the festival highlighting the importance of access to arts and the benefits that creativity can bring to communities.”

The full programme takes place across 12 venues. Everything you need to get planning is at www.younghustlers.co.uk

Young Hustlers

Child ticket (2-17) £3.30. Adult ticket £8.80 (must be purchased alongside child tickets).

Young Hustlers 2023 Tickets – Various Nottingham Venues, Nottingham