The in style NGV Kids Summer Festival is again with a packed schedule of completely FREE occasions for households from Saturday 10 January to Friday 16 January 2026, throughout NGV International and The Ian Potter Centre!
this week-long competition transforms each NGV International and The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia into vibrant, high-energy areas designed particularly for teenagers. Expect dancing, drawing, storytelling, hands-on workshops and loads of alternatives to maneuver, make and picture.
Best of all? Every exercise is free.
When is the NGV Kids Summer Festival 2026?
NGV Kids Summer Festival runs from Saturday 10 January to Friday 16 January 2026.
NGV for Kids – Activities & Events Inspired by NGV Exhibitions
The NGV Kids Summer Festival is an annual celebration of creativity created particularly for kids and households. For one full week, the galleries host drop-in actions, performances and workshops that encourage youngsters to discover artwork by means of play.
Events are unfold throughout each NGV websites, making it simple to tailor your go to relying in your baby’s age, pursuits and power ranges.
You can pop in for an hour or make a full day of it.
Let’s Party! Fashion for Kids – A Must-See Exhibition
Running all through the competition and throughout the summer time months, the NGV Children’s Gallery is residence to Let’s Party! Fashion for Kids: Designed by Danielle Brustman.
If you’ve learn our full evaluation, you’ll know this exhibition is a standout for households.
It’s an immersive vogue playground full of daring colors, motion and hands-on components. Kids can gown up, dance, discover playful vogue designs and actually become involved, reasonably than simply look from a distance.
During the competition week, most of the drop-in artwork actions are impressed by the Let’s Party! exhibition, giving youngsters the prospect to design their very own outfits utilizing drawing and collage.
It’s very best for preschoolers by means of to higher primary-aged youngsters.
Read our evaluation of Let’s Party! Fashion for Kids.
Dance, Laugh and Get Moving at NGV International
NGV International is the place the get together environment actually comes alive.
Kids Disco Parties take over the Great Hall, inviting youngsters to bop below the enduring stained-glass ceiling. The music mixes basic dance favourites with kid-approved hits, making a joyful, inclusive house the place everyone seems to be welcome to affix in.
Comedy followers will even wish to catch Rich Higgins from The Listies, who brings his high-energy joke-making workshop to the competition for loads of laughs and foolish creativity.
There’s additionally a enjoyable photobooth, so households can seize the second and take residence a souvenir from the day.
Art and Craft Drop-in Sessions
Families may drop in for every day craft actions at NGV International, excellent for teenagers who love making and designing.
Make a Hat invitations youngsters to make use of collage supplies to design their very personal headpiece. Silly or sparkly? Fancy or enjoyable? It’s utterly as much as them.
Right alongside it, Be a Fashion Designer for a Day encourages youngsters to take inspiration from well-known designers and draw trendy outfits for a teddy bear or doll.
Both actions run every day of the competition from 9am to 5pm, are free, require no bookings, and are simple to slot in between exhibitions and performances. An important choice for inventive youngsters preferring hands-on, take-your-time actions.
Creative Workshops and Family Tours
Looking for one thing a little bit calmer between dance periods?
Artist and educator Bushra Hasan leads participating household excursions by means of the NGV Collection, sharing stunning tales and serving to youngsters see artworks in new methods. These excursions are an important choice for those who’re visiting with main school-aged youngsters who take pleasure in asking questions and studying by means of dialog.
Teenagers aren’t forgotten both. Older youngsters can be a part of a behind-the-scenes tour of the NGV Conservation Lab, providing an interesting take a look at how artworks are cared for and ready for exhibitions.
First Nations Activities at NGV Australia
Over at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, households can participate in a wealthy program of First Nations–led actions.
Ngarrindjeri artist and educator Emma Stenhouse hosts drawing and weaving workshops whereas sharing the Ngarrindjeri story of Pondi, the ancestral river cod who formed the curves of the Murray River. Children may create their very own fish puppet impressed by this highly effective story.
Kids can discover artworks by the Hermannsburg Potters on Level 2, studying how these terracotta pots inform tales of Country, tradition, bush tucker and soccer. From there, youngsters are inspired to attract their very own sporting second.
Story time periods with Yorta Yorta and Wiradjuri artist and educator Tania Rossi join households with First Nations artworks by means of image books and shared storytelling.
Relaxed Sessions for Sensory-Friendly Visits
For households who want a quieter expertise, Relaxed Sessions are scheduled for 14 and 15 January.
These periods supply early entry to the Let’s Party! exhibition and Great Hall actions, with fewer folks and lowered sensory stimulation. They’re thoughtfully designed for kids who profit from a calmer surroundings.
The NGV Kids Summer Festival 2026 guarantees to be an unforgettable journey by means of artwork, storytelling, and enjoyable. It’s an ideal alternative for households to bond, discover creativity, and make lasting reminiscences collectively.
Don’t miss out on this unimaginable occasion that celebrates the enjoyment of studying and creativeness!
Attending NGV Kids Summer Festival 2026
- Dates: 10–16 January 2026
- Locations:
- NGV International
- The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia
- Cost: Free
- Best for: Preschoolers, main faculty youngsters and youths
You don’t have to e-book for many actions, nevertheless it’s value arriving early for in style periods like discos and workshops.
Why Parents Love It
The NGV Kids Summer Festival ticks a whole lot of containers.
It’s free.
It’s air-conditioned.
It’s genuinely inventive reasonably than overstimulating.
Whether your baby loves dancing, making artwork, listening to tales or dressing up, there’s one thing right here that can spark their creativeness.
If you’re on the lookout for a faculty vacation exercise that feels particular with out costing a fortune, that is one to place straight in your calendar.
Enjoy Let’s Party! Fashion for Kids at NGV International — A Free Summer Exhibition for Families
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