NSW Youth Week runs from 16 to 26 April, with this year’s theme “Dream. Dare. Do.”
Across south west Sydney, Liverpool and Fairfield are marking the week with
festivals, workshops, performances and activities aimed at putting young people front
and centre.
NSW Youth Week is the state’s annual celebration of young people aged 12 to 24, built
around participation, creativity, connection and youth voice.
This year, Liverpool and Fairfield are both marking the week with a mix of events designed to
give young people opportunities to connect, create, perform and take part in community life.
Liverpool’s Youth Week program
In Liverpool, Youth Week activity is spread across sport, library programs, creative sessions
and supported partnerships across the local government area.
One of the headline events is the Street Sports Festival, set for the rooftop of Westfield
Liverpool on Friday 17 April. Council has advised that it supported the event with a $15,000
grant. The festival is expected to feature street football, performances and community
activity, with Liverpool Youth Council involved alongside partner organisations.
Liverpool’s program also includes a Headspace Edmondson Park Youth Week Bowling Night
for young people aged 12 to 25, aimed at creating a relaxed social setting while helping
young people connect with support services.
Libraries are also playing a key role in this year’s program. Across Liverpool, Casula, Green
Valley and Moorebank, the calendar includes Hype Studio creative sessions, junk journaling,
creative writing, Bollywood and Indian fusion dancing, Silent Youth Reset wellbeing
workshops, and a table tennis drop-in session.
Together, the Liverpool program reflects a broad Youth Week approach, with activities
spread across different locations and interests, from sport and movement to creativity,
wellbeing and social connection.
Fairfield’s Youth Week highlights
In Fairfield, the best-known event remains Bring It On! Youth Festival, which returns to
Fairfield Showground on Sunday 19 April.
The long-running festival is promoted as the centrepiece of Fairfield’s Youth Week
celebrations and is expected to feature live music, dance, art, cultural performances, rides,
food and games.
Fairfield’s wider Youth Week calendar also includes Can I Get a Word?, Slice and Screen
cake decorating, Culture Beats, the Change the Game Tournament, the Spark Youth Art
Showcase, and the opening of nominations for the Fairfield City Mayor’s Youth Achievement
Awards.
Together, those events form a broader Youth Week program that combines entertainment,
creativity, recognition and participation.
Young people at the centre
While the local programs take different forms, the purpose is the same.
Youth Week is one of the few times each year when councils, services and community
organisations are expected to place young people at the centre of public programming, not
simply as attendees, but as participants, performers, contributors and leaders.
Whether that looks like rooftop sport in Liverpool, library workshops, or a large-scale youth
festival in Fairfield, the message is clear: young people should have visible and meaningful
space in community life.
For young people and families across south west Sydney, Youth Week 2026 is a reminder
that local civic life is not only about council meetings and policy decisions. It is also about
making room for the next generation to be seen, heard and involved.
Find Out More
https://www.nsw.gov.au/arts-and-culture/nsw-youth-week
https://mylibrary.liverpool.nsw.gov.au/events/youth-week-hype-studio-ages-12-14-and-15-18
https://www.nsw.gov.au/youthweek/events/youth-week-events-fairfield-city
