Tshwane Youth Arts Festival – Tshwane Youth Arts Festival official website

he Tshwane Youth Arts Festival is an annual celebration of the arts. This prestigious event takes place every July-September on the sought-after Opera Stage of the State Theatre Pretoria. For many schools, including dance, drama and art school this event is a permanent entry on their calendars.

Thank you to all our faithful supporters who have entered and enriched the festival with your consistently great performances and visual art contributions.

If you have not previously participated, we would love to hear from you.

Groups from across Gauteng and beyond participate in the festival, offering audiences a vibrant celebration of colour, sound, light, and rhythm. Representing South Africa’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, young performers take to the stage in a fast-paced programme of more than 300 items presented over a six-week period.

While the Festival is not a competition, auditions are held to ensure a consistently high standard of performance. These auditions also provide valuable opportunities for new participants to engage with the team, ask questions, and gain a clear understanding of what to expect, ensuring they are well prepared for the experience.

In 2014, we proudly introduced an exciting new Revue Competition, KALEIDOSCOPE, which has since become a permanent and celebrated feature of the Festival.

Years in Production

Performances

Students on Stage

Kilometers Travelled

Entry Forms 2026

South African State Theatre, Opera Stage, Pretoria 28 July – 5 September 2026

Hoërskool Durbanville, Cape Town – 10, 11,& 12 September 2026

TSHWANE YOUTH ARTS FESTIVAL – PRETORIA. Entry forms click here

KALEIDOSCOPE REVUE COMPETITION – PRETORIA. Entry forms click here

KALEIDOSCOPE REVUE COMPETITION – CAPE TOWN. Entry forms click here

The growth in popularity of the Tshwane Youth Arts Festival is noted over the years. From a humble start in 1994 with 3600 participants to 2025 with over 25 000 participants.

Our mission is to cultivate a safe, inclusive, and equitable arts environment where every participant feels valued and empowered. We are committed to identifying, recognising, nurturing, and celebrating emerging talent, while inspiring continued growth and confidence.

The Tshwane Youth Arts Festival provides a dynamic and innovative platform where schools can showcase their creativity, express their artistic voices, and engage in meaningful cultural exchange through the performing arts.

Our vision is to uphold and elevate the highest professional standards in arts festivals, positioning the Tshwane Youth Arts Festival as South Africa’s leading platform for youth in the performing arts.

We aspire to grow, promote, and amplify the festival into a nationally recognised benchmark of excellence. One that nurtures a vibrant community of passionate, creative artists. Inspired by the richness of the South African arts landscape, we aim to cultivate a culture where young people invest in their heritage, embrace diversity, and confidently celebrate both their individuality and shared artistic identity.

Our focus is to educate, develop, and uplift through the arts, ensuring that every participant and educator grows with each performance opportunity. As the world evolves and technology advances, so too do the standards of the arts, driving continuous learning, innovation, and creative development each year

The Tshwane Youth Arts Festival is presented each year on the Opera Stage of the South African State Theatre and runs over a period of 4 – 6 weeks giving more than 300 schools in the greater Gauteng area the opportunity of participating at this worldclass performing opportunity. This Festival inspires children of diverse cultures and makes a difference in their lives, never to be forgotten. These children perform on the biggest stage in South Africa and one of the most sought-after stages in Africa. This performance opportunity will broaden their horizons.
Some schools, individuals and groups have, through the Tshwane Youth Arts Festival, had doors opened for them to travel abroad and to share their talents internationally.

The Tshwane Youth Arts Festival each year announces an increasing number of entries and would like to broaden the boundaries to invite other provinces to be part of this spectacular arts experience. A festival of this magnitude, standard and popularity, however, has also been made possible through the co-operation and dedication of principals, teachers, parents, industry professionals and learners.

The following are the various categories planned for the Tshwane Youth Arts Festival:

Choirs
Dance (Traditional, Modern, Classical, Ballet, and Latin American etc.)
Revues
Instrumental
Orchestral
Drama
Visual Arts

Choirs

Dance

Instrumental

Orchestral

Drama

Visual Arts

The Tshwane Youth Arts Festival team is a dedicated body of skilled individuals focusing on children, giving them inspiration and encouragement to celebrate their talents and broaden their horizons. We believe it is through the Arts that the people of our beautiful country will come to learn about co-operation, tolerance, peace and harmony. This in turn leads to a wonderful learning experience and mutual appreciation for the diverse cultures of our country.

Mary-Lou is a dynamic and driven professional whose lifelong commitment to the arts and youth development has shaped a career defined by passion, purpose, and impact. From an early age, she cultivated a diverse range of skills and talents, laying the foundation for her ability to lead, inspire, and innovate.

With a natural ability to connect across ages and cultures, Mary-Lou brings exceptional insight into working with young people. Her work is grounded in a deep understanding of diversity, creativity, and the transformative power of the arts. Through her leadership and involvement in the Tshwane Youth Arts Festival (TYAF), she actively creates platforms that celebrate individuality while uniting communities through shared expression.

Her role within TYAF extends far beyond coordination. It is a mission-driven pursuit to uplift, motivate, and empower thousands of young individuals each year. By fostering confidence, creativity, and cultural appreciation, she continues to make a meaningful and lasting difference in the lives of emerging talent.

Mary-Lou is guided by a powerful belief:
“Never give up on a powerful dream. A person with big dreams holds more power than one with only facts.”