Festival of The Boy
Festival of The Boy is a new, critically timed national event and movement created by the team behind Festival of The Girl. Their first ever event is happening this May in partnership with Male Allies UK.
When: Sunday 17th May, 2026
Where: Big Penny Social, 1 Priestley Way, London E17 6AL
We're excited to start sharing the amazing line up below. Click on the image to learn more about organisation, activity or person. With more still to be announced.
festival of The Boy 2026 Line-up
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and more to come!
As awareness grows around the pressures facing young boys, from restrictive ideas about masculinity to a lack of diverse role models, it is clear that meaningful change requires spaces that support all children. Festival of The Boy brings the same joyful, inclusive, and carefully designed approach that has made Festival of The Girl so impactful, extending it to boys and their families.
While this will be our first Festival of The Boy event, it is built on a proven model of community engagement, thoughtful design, and measurable impact and developed in partnership with Male Allies UK, a research-led organisation specialising in male allyship, inclusive cultures, and supporting boys and men to thrive.
Why Now: Listening to Boys' Voices
Our partnership with Male Allies UK ensures that our first Festival of The Boy event is grounded in research and real lived experience, not assumptions.
The Voice of The Boys report, based on conversations with over 1,000 boys aged 11–16 across the UK, reveals a generation that is:
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Hungry for real spaces to be themselves yet 81% say there aren’t enough opportunities to just be a boy in today’s world.
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Unclear about what masculinity means, with 79% reporting confusion around this core identity concept.
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Socially disconnected, with 72% saying they don’t have more than one person who knows them really well.
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Under-prepared for the future, with 65% expressing that school isn’t equipping them for what comes next.
These findings underline an urgent cultural need, boy-centred spaces are not a luxury, but a necessity. Festival of The Boy is designed to answer that need with joy, reflection, connection, and community, backed by research and co-created with experts in supporting boys’ wellbeing and identity exploration.
You can access the full report here: The Voice of the Boys
Festival of The Boy is the logical next step in our mission to create a world where gender stereotypes no longer limit children’s potential, supporting boys with the same quality, insight, and care that has defined our work to date.
In 2025, we extended our reach into boys’ engagement with the Festival of The Boy national campaign, delivering 6 million+ daily impressions through 157 outdoor and digital placements - a clear signal of demand and resonance for this work.
Joining Festival of The Boy
We are seeking organisations and partners who share our vision for a world where boys can thrive with confidence, curiosity, and emotional wellbeing.
By supporting and partnering with Festival of The Boy, you are investing in long-term cultural shift, rooted in research, grounded in real voices, and delivered by a team with a strong record of turning insight into impact.
Let’s shape this moment together.
Join our mailing list or get in touch: info@festivaloftheboy.com
