Georges River Youth Festival (GRYFest) is back this April as part of NSW Youth Week, bringing together young people for a celebration of creativity, learning and local talent.
Running from Friday 10 April to Sunday 26 April, the annual festival is led by Council and developed in partnership with the Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) to meet the needs of young people in the Georges River area.
Celebrating this year's theme "Dream. Dare. Do" Council will be hosting three exciting events: Outdoor Cinema at Hurstville Plaza on Friday 10 April, Financial Literacy and AI Fluency Workshops on Thursday 16 and Thursday 23 April, and the much-anticipated Battle of the Beats on Friday 24 April.
The Outdoor Cinema at Hurstville Plaza is a brand-new addition to the GRYFest program. The afternoon will be jam-packed with free activities, including youth service stalls, a parkour course, DJ workshops, pedal-powered smoothie bikes, collaborative Aboriginal art and a graffiti activation. The community is encouraged to stick around into the evening for a relaxing outdoor cinema screening.
Alongside representatives from UNSW UNOVA, Council will also deliver two workshops on personal financing, budgeting and AI Fluency. These interactive workshops will empower young people with practical tools for budgeting, financial planning and navigating the growing role of artificial intelligence in everyday life.
Youth Week at Georges River will wrap up on a high with Battle of the Beats, returning for its fourth year in partnership with 3Bridges Community. Sponsored by SOUNDCULT, this live music competition spotlights local youth talent, giving young musicians the chance to perform on stage and compete for prizes that support their creative journey.
The following musicians have been locked in to battle it out for the top spot:
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Kenya
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Verräter
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The Scuts
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The Avenue
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The Suburban Skulk
Council will also be introducing an online youth mapping project, an interactive initiative that aims to capture place-based insights from children and young people. Co-designed with the YAC, the project will build a centralised database of youth-informed insights to help Council better understand and respond to the priorities of young people in the Georges River area. To participate, visit Council's Your Say webpage.
"GRYFest is all about giving young people a platform to express themselves, learn new skills and connect with their community," said Mayor Elise Borg.
"We encourage young people, families and friends to come along to the events, get involved in the activities and share their ideas through the Youth Mapping Project so their voices can help shape the future of Georges River."
Georges River Council would also like to thank 3Bridges Community and SOUNDCULT for their support of GRYFest 2026.
