September marks the fifth anniversary of the Isle of Man’s Youth Arts Centre in Douglas. On the back of the success of last year’s open day, the centre has announced its plans to host another at its on Sunday 6th September.

The Youth Arts Centre, or YAC, seems to be constantly growing in popularity within the community: “It feels like we’ve been getting busier and busier by the day”, says Fiona Helleur, head of the YAC. “Last year saw over 200 people visit us on our open day and we’re hoping to top that this time round. We found that a lot of people knew the building well but not what went on inside it. Once the kids find out what we get up to we find they’re eager to tell their friends.”

The event isn’t just for children though; for adults too the day marks an opportunity to look around the building which has been through lots of change, including being a factory in the past. Fiona remarked: “Five years on and we still get people coming in on a monthly basis to see what happened to the building they grew up with. So much has changed since then, but people still recall fondly what the rooms used to look like or what went on inside these big red doors.”

Sunday the 6th of September sees these doors flung open and although for some the open day will be a chance to see old haunts, the real focus is spreading the message of the wide variety of classes for any kids looking to get involved in the arts from dance and music to drawing and acting.

For those who attend it’s a perfect opportunity to do something different and make new friends, Fiona added: “We don’t have favourites or run a star system. There are no auditions, no one is ever left out and we promise that everyone has a role be it on-stage, back-stage, up-stage, down-stage and the staff are always there at every stage.”

The open day will play host to over 30 different types of sessions with something going on in every room. Kids will be able to take part in plays, see magic shows, dress up in some amazing outfits and more.

To join in the fun, visit the YAC at Kensington road between 11:00am and 4:00pm on Sunday 6th September. For more information email Fiona on f.helleur@doe.sch.im.