Giving Young People a Say

Last August saw our fourth Youth Takeover Day, featuring connection, the exchanging of ideas and special guest, saxophonist Camilla George.

What is Youth Takeover Day?

Youth Takeover Day was created to give young people a space to connect with the Festival, artists and a group of like-minded peers. It’s a full day of activities culminating in a performance that participants might not otherwise have gone to see. Now in its fourth iteration, the 2026 event was co-created and hosted by our Youth Collective, a group of 14 people aged 16-18 who love music.

The key purpose is connection. Spending a full day engaging in Q&As, creative activities, discussions and fun allows the group to bond deeply as a cohort before attending a concert together. They connect with EIF by speaking directly with staff and by sharing their own interpretations of the Festival’s themes.

Youth Takeover Day amplifies the voices of passionate, opinionated young people. While they deepen their understandings of what happens behind the scenes of the Festival, we learn what a positive vision for the arts looks like for them.

Breakdown of the Day

This year’s Youth Takeover Day took place at Merchant’s Hall. 31 total young people participated from 10 different schools, plus one on a gap year. After a warm lunch and a warmer welcome, participants gathered for a Q&A session with saxophonist Camilla George. For an hour the young people asked her questions about her music, her process, her background, how her art relates to the Festival’s themes and more. Camilla was chosen by the Festival's Youth Collective as the artist they wanted to engage with, both because of her musical style and her personal relevance to young people.

Then, after a break and some games to further break the ice, we welcomed our second special guest, Festival Director Nicola Benedetti. The participants had the opportunity to ask Nicola any questions they wanted about the International Festival, which she was more than happy to answer.

The rest of the afternoon was dedicated to responding creatively to the theme of All Rise. We offered a zine-making workshop because zines are accessible, versatile and easy to distribute. We felt that if we were going to ask young people to explore their feelings around complicated themes, then we needed to offer an avenue for them to share their voices outside of the room.

We invited participants to use various art supplies, including programmes to use as collage material, to explore three ideas: What I think; Who I am; and What I want. We photocopied zines for anyone who opted in so they could distribute copies in any way they saw fit.

Youth Collective members even started an impromptu cèilidh during the break between activities, taking further ownership of the space and the vibe they wanted to set.

Finally, it was time to head up to The Hub for dinner and the concert. Having spent a day developing a camaraderie with their peers, the young people spearheaded an energetic post-pizza/pre-concert karaoke and dance party. These are important moments that communicate to the young people that Youth Takeover Day is for, by and about them. The playful and relaxed attitude continued as they entered the main hall to see Camilla George play with her band, with several participants occupying the bean bags in the front rows. For some, it was their first jazz concert. For many it was their favourite.

The night ended with a brief wind-down. Shirts were signed, post-it notes were stuck on the walls, and smiles were exchanged.

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