Upgrade Yourself Festival 2026

Now in its eighth edition, Upgrade Yourself Festival is back, connecting emerging creatives ages 16 to 30 with trailblazing talent and industry experts. Upgrade Yourself Festival connects emerging creatives (ages 16 – 30) with trailblazing talent and industry experts on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 August. This year we are going beyond your traditional careers festival and creating a space where creativity is celebrated as a tool for self-expression, imagination and collective growth. We’re inviting you to join us for two days of dreaming, reflecting, imagining and testing new ideas. Empowering you to express yourself, build your community, share your work and experiment boldly. As always, the Upgrade Yourself Festival is free to attend with free food and drink so you can fuel up while you explore and create! Across both days Central Hub - Lancaster Room Throughout the festival, Lancaster Room will be your central hub for relaxing, eating, reflecting, and being supported to connect, create and share without pressure. Throughout the festival, the space will offer: Free food and drinks provided by Clement Worrall Opportunity to network and connect with others, hosted by Strangers in the City Craft and Connect, facilitated by artists embedded in community and regenerative practices Headshots with Kwame Dapaa Run the Check Jobs Board IRL jobs board of current creative opportunities, from Run the Check! Jobs and freelance work to open calls, commissions, and paid projects. Curated by Run the Check, this in-person jobs board brings together opportunities across the creative industries, inviting you to explore current roles that align with your interests, skills, and aspirations