UK
Creative
Festival
Margate
1st & 2nd July 2026
Huge thanks to everyone who joined us by the sea for the sixth annual UK Creative Festival.
Supported by our fantastic headline sponsor Global, we were thrilled that so many of you came to Margate to get uncomfortable with us.
Trading desks for deckchairs the event delivered everything a good festival should: sunshine, networking, difficult conversations, and sand in unexpected places!
Sun, sand & getting uncomfortable, here's what went down at UKCF26.
The 2026 conversation started here:
Don’t Get Comfortable!
The future belongs to the creatively fearless.
Day One: Beach vibes and big ideas
Day one saw the creative community gather for margs in Margs on the beach at The Margate Drop - in partnership with Bauer Media and Don't Miss Margate as local and national creatives came together over cocktails as the sun came out to play.
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Meanwhile, the legendary Sandcastle Competition (hosted by Bauer Media, run by Plunge Creations) was a huge success - congrats to Dodgems & Floss, the Canterbury agency crowned "king of the castle" for their standout structure.
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Over at Dreamland, our young creatives were treated to an afternoon with Graham Fink at TheArtSchool. He was joined by Rory Sutherland andVicki Maguire making quite the line up! Thanks to these legends for getting our young guests buzzing about their own creative journeys.
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The conversations at the Creative Circle’s Creative Town Hall - Transform Culture, under the glow of David Hockney’s incredible Sunley Window, were massively inspired by the insights from the panel - Emma Jones, Rory Sutherland, Louise Brooks, Lorraine Cox and Dan Richards. If this got your creative juices flowing then keep an eye on their website for details of the next Creative Town Hall coming soon.
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Big thank you to Pitch & Sync and OUT/STANDARD for hosting our summer party at Faith in Strangers. What a night it was!
Day Two: Insights and inspiration
UKCF founder Dina Green opened the second day of the festival on the stage at Dreamland in Hall by the Sea. What followed was a day of inspiring speakers and challenging conversations. We couldn’t have done it without all the amazing people who took to the stage (see full list of this year’s speakers here) – so massive thank you to you all. If you missed any of the sessions, don’t worry as all the talks and panels from this year’s UKCF will be available to watch back on our website soon!
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Off stage over in the Roller Disco, over 800 young creatives gathered at our Creative Careers Fair, hosted by the Creative Foundation. It was so inspiring to see so many of you join us and engage with the 35 companies who were exhibiting. We are hugely grateful to all the businesses who came to share their knowledge and experience with our young people. We know it makes a huge difference, and we were thrilled to hear of so many stories of creatives who started their careers through connections they made over the years at the fair. Shout out to the team from YCUK for soundtracking the fair with tunes spun by their resident DJ.
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We hope you all enjoyed the BBQ and summer social at Margate favourite The George and Heart. Thanks to the team there who provided delicious food and incredible vibes.
The 81st Creative Circle Awards
We hope that everyone who joined us at the 81st Creative Circle Awards, has now fully recovered! It was an epic evening celebrating the best creative work in the UK from the past year. All winners’ details can now be found on our website. A shout out to Dentsu Creative for putting on such a great afterparty.
Full award results can be found here
The 2026 Awards Rankings can be found here
Photographs from the evening can be found here
A message from Dina Green, UKCF Founder
"Six years ago, we started this festival because we believed the creative industries deserved a space to talk honestly about business, talent and the future. This year’s festival was extraordinary. I could not be prouder seeing so many people, from industry leaders to young people taking their first steps into a creative career, all in one place, all having real conversations about where this industry is going. The UK industries are growing at four times the rate of the wider economy, and yet we still have work to do to make sure every talented young person can see a place for themselves in that story. That’s why we started the UK Creative Festival. We have something genuinely special here, and we’re only just getting started.”
Dina Green, UKCF Founder
That's a wrap!
In 2026, we've been figuring out what’s next, and who’s brave enough to go first.
Three spaces. No filler. Come curious. Leave with a bit more edge.
SHOWCASE
Hall by the Sea
Big stage. Big questions. No polite answers.
Where are we genuinely world-class? Where are we kidding ourselves? Who’s doing better than us right now?
We get into it - properly. Then we swing the spotlight onto the work and the people raising the bar. The stuff that cuts through. The stuff that makes you wish you’d been involved.
It’s a celebration and a wake-up call, all rolled into one.
You’ll leave inspired and ready to up your game.
ENABLE
The Ballroom
Right, now what are you actually going to do about it?
The Ballroom is where ideas meet reality.
How the industry really works behind the scenes - money, commissioning, partnerships, growth.
No industry echo-chambers of waffle you’ve heard before.
Not just vague inspiration.
Useful, honest insight into how to build something that lasts - and pays.
ACTIVATE
Beach Huts
This is where it gets hands-on.
Small groups. Straight talking. No stage, no ego.
If you’re starting out, breaking in, or just figuring out your next move - this is your space.
Real advice, real access, and people who won’t gatekeep.
Because the industry keeps saying it needs new talent.
This is us actually doing something about it.
We were joined by some of the most daring and inspiring people in UK creativity.
Plus these 2026 specials:
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Creative Town Hall
The Art School
Creative Circle Awards
Creative Careers Fair
UKCF Summer Party
UKCF Social Gathering
Creative Circle Awards After party
Sandcastle Comp
Best of British Exhibit
New Talent Awards
Uncovering the unmissable
The Margate Drop
Busking Stage
Wellness Programme
Plus so much more!
Connect & network with the people, businesses & brands driving the UK creative sector.
The UK Creative Festival is on a mission to connect, inspire and elevate the UK creative sector, driving growth and building networks.
As well as helping businesses and individuals to succeed, we showcase UK creativity, supporting its position as a recognised and respected national asset.
This is where ideas meet opportunity.
The UK Creative Festival is proudly brought to you in partnership with:
and our friends at
