Produced in collaboration with A New Direction, I Am Festival is an annual celebration of the creativity, leadership and imagination of Deaf, disabled and neurodiverse young people. For over a decade, the festival has offered space for hundreds of young people to share their talents, ideas and perspectives, placing their voices at the centre of cultural life.
Each year, the festival welcomes SEND schools from across Greater London. Many of the participating young people face significant barriers to inclusion, including those with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD), complex needs, life‑limiting conditions, or those who can only take part from their school environment. I Am Festival works to ensure that every young person, wherever they are, can be supported to explore and express their creativity.
I Am Festival 2026
This year, I Am Festival will take place across multiple public spaces at Tate Modern - from the Clore and the Tanks to gallery spaces and the bridge. This will be the festival’s most ambitious and visible edition to date, signalling Tate’s growing commitment to inclusive practice and to amplifying the creative contributions of young people with additional needs.
Through time spent with the national collection and within the public spaces of the museum, young people will shape installations, interventions and experiences across Tate Modern. From sensory encounters and digital works to co-created gallery moments, the festival extends an invitation to imagine a more inclusive arts landscape, one in which all young people are seen, heard and celebrated.
First hosted at Tate in 2015 through the Tate Exchange Programme, I Am Festival has grown in scope and impact each year. For 2026, the festival moves from its previous home in the non-public Level 5, Blavatnik Building, into prominent public spaces throughout the museum - bringing the creativity of participating young people to the heart of Tate Modern.
The festival is developed in partnership with A New Direction and Tate’s Schools & Teachers programme. This collaboration brings together AND’s specialist expertise in SEND creative provision with Tate’s platform and resources, strengthening relationships with teachers and carers and helping to embed inclusive practice across our work.
A New Direction is an award‑winning non‑profit organisation committed to improving creativity, cultural access and employment opportunities for children and young people across London.
Young people with additional needs have long been a priority for Tate’s Schools & Teachers programme. Through initiatives such as IMMERSION and LIGHTBOX, sensory learners, especially those with PMLD, are a core focus of Tate Schools, our new digital platform for educators. Our ambition is to develop a programme where SEND-first approaches not only serve the students they centre, but also inspire new forms of creative learning for all.
All Tate Modern entrances are step-free. You can enter via the Turbine Hall and into the Natalie Bell Building on Holland Street, or into the Blavatnik Building on Sumner street.
There are lifts to every floor of the Blavatnik and Natalie Bell buildings. Alternatively you can take the stairs.
- Fully accessible toilets are located on every floor on the concourses.
- A quiet room is available to use in the Natalie Bell Building on Level 4.
- Ear defenders can be borrowed from the Ticket desks.
To help plan your visit to Tate Modern, have a look at our visual story. It includes photographs and information about what you can expect from a visit to the gallery.
For more information before your visit:
- Email hello@tate.org.uk
- Call +44 (0)20 7887 8888 (daily 10.00–17.00)
