What we do
YDF
For ten remarkable years, Young Digitals Festival has transformed Oldham into a beacon of digital creativity, proving that world-class cultural innovation can flourish far beyond metropolitan centres.
Young Digitals Festival
A decade of digital culture
For ten remarkable years, Young Digitals Festival has transformed Oldham into a beacon of digital creativity, proving that world-class cultural innovation can flourish far beyond metropolitan centres. Born from a bold vision to celebrate youth-led digital arts, YDF has evolved into one of the North West's most significant platforms for emerging artists, annually converting Oldham's libraries into vibrant laboratories of creative experimentation. This groundbreaking partnership with Oldham Libraries has reimagined these community spaces as crucibles of 21st-century culture - where virtual reality installations sit alongside bookshelves, where coding workshops happen in reading rooms, and where young people from all backgrounds discover their creative voices through technology.
From artist development to festival
At its heart, Young Digitals Festival represents the triumphant culmination of Peshkar's year-long Artist Development Programme. Each autumn, emerging artists from across Greater Manchester begin transformative journeys of mentorship, skills development, and community engagement, working with schools, youth organisations, and community groups to create digital art that responds to contemporary challenges. By the time March arrives, these artists have grown from tentative creators into confident innovators, ready to showcase work that explores everything from climate change to cultural identity, from social justice to mental wellbeing - always through the lens of digital innovation and authentic youth perspective. The festival has featured collaborations with Proud Trust, Fatima Women's Association, local schools, and international partners from Spain to Serbia, ensuring the work reflects the true diversity of Greater Manchester's communities.
Beyond the March showcase
YDF's impact extends far beyond its annual March showcase, creating ripples that have reached from Oldham Central Library to Seoul's CICA Museum, where festival work was exhibited in 2025. The festival embodies digital democracy in action - ensuring cost never barriers participation, technology never intimidates exploration, and geography never limits ambition. Over the decade, YDF has adapted to technological advances and social changes while maintaining its core mission: showing young people that creativity is their birthright, digital culture is their playground, and their voices matter in shaping tomorrow's world. As we approach the tenth anniversary in 2026, with dual curators Katie McKeever and John Thacker at the helm, Young Digitals Festival stands not just as an annual event but as a movement that has transformed countless young lives, repositioned libraries as creative powerhouses, and proven that when you combine youth energy with digital tools and community support, extraordinary things happen.