With this weekend's forecast looking likely to wash away any memories of those glorious Easter picnics and bbq's, a festival might not seem like the most tempting offer. But hear me out! RawFfest 2019 kicks off tomorrow and there's no need to dig out the wellies as this year, it hits Cardiff and will take place in the warmth of the Wales Millennium Centre..

The youth arts festival, which is now in it's forth year, is curated for and led by young people aged between 14-25.

The programme boasts an incredible range of performances, exhibitions and masterclasses. From attending the launch party in January, I know it's guaranteed to be a magical weekend, especially as the PlaceMakers, RawFfest's team of young people who plan and run the weekend, couldn't be more welcoming and helpful.

Fraser Dickson, RawFfest’s Marketing & Admin Intern, describes what to expect,“RawFfest is jam packed full of live music, literature, art, comedy & even masterclasses from industry experts. We've got 12 incredibly talented visual artists exhibiting through the entire weekend as well as poetry, comic books and storytelling workshops. Friday's headliners consist of 'The Queens of Art Tour - the first ever all female hip-hop line-up whilst Saturday's Indie-Rock line-up is made up of The Pitchforks, Al Moses, Young Garbo & Pastel, as well as an acoustic stage.”

I'm particularly excited by the focus on exploring issues faced by young people from the theatre on offer, with eleven Welsh theatre companies performing, including Mess Up The Mess and Sparc and Spectacle, Volcano, No Fit State and Hi-Jinx Youth Companies.

And on Saturday, don't miss TEAM Panel member Natasha Borton, hold a poetry masterclass from 11.00 - 12.30 and a Poetry Slam from 15.00 - 15.45, both of which are sure to be a huge hit! 

Whether you can make it for a day or the whole weekend, there is so much to look forward to. You can check out the full programme and get ticket information on their website-

https://www.rawffest.wales/