On 26 April 2026, the Burton Street Stage at Vincentia Shopping Village came alive with youth music festival, Burton St. Beats. The event brought together young performers, their families, and the wider community to celebrate youth creativity.
Firefly Bay & Basin delivered Burton St. Beats as part of NSW Youth Week, during the autumn school holidays. It was more than just a music festival, this youth-led event gave young people a real platform to share their music, build confidence, and feel supported throughout.
A festival created from the Youth Voice Project and brought to life
Burton St. Beats started as a youth-driven idea through Firefly’s Youth Voice Project in 2025. Young people wanted safer, more frequent, and more inclusive chances to perform outside school and to be taken seriously as emerging artists and musicians.
That vision turned into a real community event thanks to youth co-design and strong community partnerships. It shows what can happen when young people are trusted to lead and are supported by those around them.
Firefly and Vincentia Community Connections: a true partnership
Firefly Bay & Basin and Vincentia Community Connections worked together to deliver Burton St. Beats. Their support helped turn the day into more than just a stage program; it became a welcoming community gathering. Vincentia Community Connections played a big part in creating the festival atmosphere, from cooking the free sausage sizzle that kept everyone fed to providing their Community Connections Hub as the artists’ Green Room. This calm, supportive space let performers prepare, regroup, and relax between sets. Their volunteers, along with Firefly staff and Youth Crew members, also helped with marshalling and crowd control.
The lineup: local young artists bringing it all
The festival offered a mix of genres and styles, including cultural dance, indie rock, acoustic storytelling, hard rock, and post-punk. Young acts from the local area and the broader Shoalhaven took the stage.
The afternoon began with the Dhaawarri Dancers from Vincentia High School, who opened the festival with powerful cultural storytelling through dance. After that, Kaleb, the lead singer from Party Henry, brought indie rock confidence and original music. Noah Leaver then created a more intimate acoustic moment, blending guitar and harmonica with story-driven songs. Kick Static finished their set with classic hard rock and big debut energy.
Later in the afternoon, Rusty & The Bucketheads played sharp, high-energy post-punk and rock ’n’ roll that kept the atmosphere lively. Barefooted Strays closed the day with a dynamic finish, giving the event a true festival finale.
Note: Sylvie Penny and Kayleb Dockary were scheduled but were unable to perform on the day.
The atmosphere: warm, hyped, and genuinely supportive
One of the best parts of Burton St Beats was how the crowd supported the performers. Families, friends, and community members stopped to listen, cheered loudly, and created the kind of supportive energy that helps young artists feel confident.
It felt like more than just watching a performance. Young people were at the centre, and the whole community came together to support them. At its peak we had 290 audience members and at the lowest 160 which is a great turn out for a rescheduled event.
Performer wellbeing mattered (and it showed)
Live performances are exciting and fun. The Green Room was important because it helped keep things calm, supportive, and focused on young people behind the scenes.
Having a dedicated space let performers take a break, regroup, and feel cared for. This is a big part of making performance pathways truly welcoming and positive.
Community-powered: connection, food, and local support
Burton St Beats happened because of strong collaboration and a network of supporters who believe in youth-led creative opportunities.
We want to send a huge, sincere thank you to everyone who helped make the day happen, not just with funding and resources, but with practical, on-the-ground support and a real belief in young people.
Thank you to:
- Soloists and Bands
- Oscar Morgan who was our MC
- Vincentia Community Connections
- Community Bank Sanctuary Point & Districts (supporting the Green Room)
- Liza Butler MP (event sponsorship and support for youth-led opportunities)
- Shoalhaven City Council (event sponsorship and support for youth-led opportunities)
- Oracle (on-site activities)
- Headspace Nowra (youth support resources and on-site activities)
- IMB Bank (on-site giveaways)
- South Coast First Aid (loan of aid equipment)
- Sanctuary Point Community Pride (loan of equipment)
- Bay and Basin Youth Crew Members (marshalling)
To see more photos, go to our Google Photos folder.