The next Australian Catholic Youth Festival will be held from Sunday 30 November to Tuesday 2 December 2025, hosted by the Archdiocese of Melbourne. 

Expecting to host up to 10,000 young people, it will be the first Festival since the COVID-19 pandemic delayed a follow up event from the highly successful Festival in Perth 2019. 

The Festival invites young people aged year 9 to 25 years of age, and their leaders to come together and connect, deepen their relationship with Christ, be empowered to live their faith in the world and experience the breadth of the Church in Australia. 

The Australian Catholic Youth Festival is the largest national gathering of the Catholic Church in Australia. It is expected to welcome the majority of Australian Catholic Bishops, leading Catholic presenters and performers and host a few surprises for young pilgrims. 

Recently the Archdiocese of Melbourne released their Youth Festival website, www.acyf.org.au which shares more about the Festival, who it is for and how to attend. It has also updated the ACYF25 Instagram page where it will share announcements into the future. 

The Archdiocese of Melbourne has been preparing for the Youth Festival for over 12 months and will begin regular announcements in the coming weeks. 

Words: Malcolm Hart