We’ve been working on the first part of our ongoing project to map 2021 plans and projects for Outdoor Arts in the UK; this first part looks at urban and rural festivals, venue programmes, purpose-built outdoor spaces and field and coastal festivals which include work from the Outdoor Arts performance sector.
Below is a list of what we know so far, and huge thanks to everyone who has taken part in this exercise.
Subject to Change…
We are really pleased to see that there are so many positive plans, but it cannot be overstated that everything here is subject to amendment, postponement and rescheduling – as lockdowns, roadmaps and other factors dictate.
Work in Progress…
The next parts of this project will look at carnival, mela and winter light festivals. If you would like to be involved in those parts of the project or have anything to add or update here, please contact us: info@outdoorartsuk.org
What |
Where |
When |
|---|---|---|
| March | ||
| Liverpool River of Light | Liverpool | 23 Mar-5 Apr |
| April | ||
| Invisible Dances – PDSW | Bournemouth | 6-10 Apr |
| Behind Closed Doors – 27 Degrees | Spitalfields | 14-17 Apr |
| Legends, Lights & Lullabies – SpareParts | Sandbach | 17 Apr |
| May | ||
| Brighton Festival | Brighton | 1-30 May (and possibly beyond) |
| The Hull Vigil | Hull | 3 May-3 May 2022 |
| In Memoriam | Birmingham | 8-16 May |
| Puddings & Pathways Festival | East Sussex | 12, 18, 26 May |
| Coventry Moves – Coventry 2021 | Coventry | 15 May |
| Semaphore | Hastings | 17 May |
| Norwich & Norfolk Festival (Garden Party 22-23 May) | Norwich | 17-30 May |
| C-O-N-T-A-C-T | Salford / Manchester | 18 May-27 Jun |
| Lightnight Liverpool | Liverpool | 21 May |
| Estuary 2021 | Thames Estuary | 22 May-13 Jun |
| AND Festival | Manchester | 27 May-11 Jul |
| Without Walls @ Our Place – Brighton Festival | Brighton | 28-20 May |
| Bath Fringe Festival – Bedlam Fair | Bath | 28 May-13 Jun |
| Maltings Theatre: Roman Theatre Outdoor Season | St Albans | 28 May-11 Jul |
| Streets of Bexhill | East Sussex | 29 May |
| City Encounters – Wiltshire Creative | Salisbury | 30-31 May |
| One Day in Wonderland | London | 31 May – 4 June |
| Highstreet Playground | Royal Tunbridge Wells | 31 May-6 Jun TBC |
| Hereford River Carnival | River Wye | May – TBC |
| Nottingham Puppet Festival | Nottingham | May-Jun – TBC |
| June | ||
| Pitlochry Festival Theatre Outdoor Season | Pitlochry | 3 Jun-10 Sep |
| Streets of Battle | East Sussex | 5 Jun |
| City of London (A Thing of Beauty) | London | 13 Jun-31 Oct |
| Bell Square / Watermans | Hounslow | 14 Jun-18 Dec |
| Journeys Festival International – Refugee Week | Leicester / Manchester / Portsmouth | 14-20 Jun |
| Basingstoke Festival | Basingstoke | 24 Jun-11 Jul |
| Wandsworth Arts Fringe | Wandsworth | 25 Jun-11 Jul |
| Streets of Rye | East Sussex | 26 Jun |
| Geronimo Festival | London | 26-27 June |
| Beach of Dreams – Kinetika | East Coast | 26 Jun-1 Aug |
| Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre | London | 26 Jun-18 Sep |
| Fusion Festival – Cohesion Plus | Gravesend | Jun – TBC |
| Hebden Bridge Arts Festival – Street Sunday | Hebden Bridge | Jun – TBC |
| Manchester Day Parade | Manchester | Jun – TBC |
| National Festival of Making | Blackburn | Jun – TBC |
| Didsbury Arts Festival | Didsbury | Jun – TBC |
| Physical Fest | Liverpool | Jun – TBC |
| Accelerate Festival – Spare Parts | Oldham | Jun – TBC |
| Imagine Watford | Watford | Jun – TBC |
| The Line – Madge Gill | Royal Docks, London | Jun – TBC |
| Making Spaces | Royal Docks, London | Jun – TBC |
| Iris Theatre Outdoor Theatre Festival | Covent Garden | Jun-Aug – TBC |
| July | ||
| Under Canvas Festival | Inverness | 1 Jul – 30 Sep |
| Hat Fair | Winchester | 2-4 Jul |
| Surge Festival | Glasgow | 2-4 Jul |
| Ports Fest | Portsmouth | 2-4 Jul |
| Timber Festival | Leicestershire | 2-4 Jul |
| Bradford Fringe Festival | Bradford | 3 Jul-1 Aug |
| Henley Festival | Oxfordshire | 7-11 Jul |
| Buxton Festival Fringe | Buxton | 7-25 Jul |
| Mouth of the Tyne Festival | Tynemouth | 10-11 Jul |
| Bridgwater Quayside Festival | Somerset | 9-10 Jul |
| IF:MK | Milton Keynes | 10-30 Jul |
| TILT Festival | Birmingham | 12-18 Jul |
| National Children’s Carnival Week | National | 12-18 Jul |
| Bristol Harbour Festival | Bristol | 16-18 Jul |
| Fleetwood Tram Sunday (In Memorium) – SpareParts | Fleetwood | 16-18 Jul |
| Summer Streets | Sunderland | 16-19 Jul |
| Bedworth Party in the Park | Bedworth | 17 Jul |
| Same But Different – The Arches Festivals, Severn Arts | Worcester | 19-23 Jul |
| Our City Dances – South East Dance | Brighton & Hove | 19-24 Jul |
| Bluedot Festival | Cheshire | 22-25 Jul |
| WOMAD | Wiltshire | 22-25 Jul |
| Nozstock: The Hidden Valley Festival | Heredfordshire | 22-25 Jul |
| Latitude Festival | Suffolk | 22-25 Jul |
| Ensemble Festival, Certain Blacks | Royal Docks, London | 23-25 Jul |
| Camp Bestival | Dorset | 29 Jul-1 Aug |
| Stockton Riverside International Festival | Stockton | 29 Jul-1 Aug |
| Kendal Calling | Kendal | 29 Jul-1 Aug |
| Festival of the Sky | Cleethorpes | 29 Jul-1 Aug |
| Green Gathering | Chepstow | 29 Jul-1 Aug |
| Underneath the Stars Festival | Cawthorne | 30 Jul-1 Aug |
| Enchanted Leonardslee | West Sussex | 30 Jul- 8 Aug |
| Summer in Southside – Birmingham Hippodrome | Birmingham | Jul – TBC |
| TrAction – Spare Parts | Crewe | Jul – TBC |
| Taliesin DanceDays | Swansea | Jul – TBC |
| Dagfest, Creative Barking & Dagenham | Dagenham | Jul – TBC |
| Mirfield Arts Festival | Mirfield | Jul – TBC |
| Thamesmead Festival | Southmere Park | Jul – TBC |
| Merchant City Festival | Glasgow | Jul – TBC |
| Taunton Live | Taunton | Jul – TBC |
| Happy Streets – Nine Elms on the South Bank | Wandsworth | Jul – TBC |
| iVamos! Latin American Festival | Leeds + North East | Jul – TBC |
| The Bridge | Royal Docks, London | Jul – TBC |
| Castaway – Coventry 2021 | Coventry | Jul-Aug – TBC |
| August | ||
| B-Side Hip Hop Festival | Birmingham | 7 Aug |
| Art in the Park | Leamington Spa | 7-8 Aug |
| Boomtown Fair | Winchester | 11-15 Aug |
| CVX Festival – Coventry 2021 | Coventry | 12-15 Aug |
| St Leonards’ Festival | East Sussex | 14 Aug |
| IncludFest – Tin Arts | Durham | 14 Aug |
| The Hatchling – Trigger | Plymouth | 14-15 Aug |
| Gloworm Festival | Nottinghamshire | 14-15 Aug |
| Green Man Festival | Brecon Beacons | 19-22 Aug |
| Just So Festival | Cheshire | 20-22 Aug |
| Geronimo Festival | Cheshire | 20-23 Aug |
| Wakefield Festival of the Earth | West Yorkshire | 20-30 Aug |
| Freedom Festival | Hull | 20 Aug-5 Sep – TBC |
| Moving Parts – Newcastle Puppetry Festival | Newcastle | 21-22 Aug |
| Electric Medway | Chatham | 21-30 Aug |
| Towersey Festival | Towersey | 27-30 Aug |
| Greenwich+Docklands International Festival | London | 27 Aug-11 Sept |
| Exeter Street Arts Festival | Exeter | 28 Aug |
| Big Feast, Appetite | Stoke-on-Trent | Aug – TBC |
| Bradford Festival | Bradford | Aug – TBC |
| Devizes International Street Festival | Devizes | Aug – TBC |
| Leicester City Festival | Leicester | Aug – TBC |
| Elephant and the Nun Festival | Southwark | Aug – TBC |
| Boing Festival | Canterbury | Aug – TBC |
| Making Spaces Walks | Royal Docks, London | Aug – TBC |
| Kids Summer Splash | Royal Docks, London | Aug – TBC |
| Rochdale Feel Good Festival – Spare Parts | Rochdale | Aug – TBC |
| Wonderful World, Culture House | Grimsby | Aug – TBC |
| September | ||
| Totally Thames | London | 1-30 Sep |
| Vintage by the Sea | Morecambe | 4-5 Sept |
| Nairn Festival | Nairn | 4-12 Sep |
| Birmingham International Dance Festival | Birmingham | 5-21 Jun |
| Arts + Health Weekender | Weston-super-Mare | 8-26 Sep |
| New Mills Festival | High Peak | 10-26 Sep |
| Whirligig Festival of Outdoor Arts – Theatre Orchard | Weston-super-Mare | 11 Sep |
| All in the Mind Festival | Basingstoke | 11 Sep |
| Out There Festival – Out There Arts | Great Yarmouth | 17-19 Sep |
| Holmfirth Arts Festival | West Yorkshire | 17-19 Sep |
| Lancashire Encounter | Preston | 17-19 Sep |
| Inside Out Dorset – Activate | Dorset | 17-26 Sep |
| Festival of Thrift | Redcar | 25-26 Sep |
| Journeys Festival of Outdoor Dance | Rother | 25-26 Sept |
| Derby Festé | Derby | 25-27 Sep |
| Wye Valley River Festival | Wye Valley | Sep – TBC |
| SO Festival | Skegness | Sep – TBC |
| The Full Shebang – First Art | Mansfield | Sep – TBC |
| Witham Puppet Festival | Witham | Sep – TBC |
| October | ||
| Bournemouth Arts by the Sea | Bournemouth | 1-3 Oct |
| Leeds Light Night | Leeds | 14-16 Oct |
| Bloomsbury Festival | London | 15-24 Oct |
| Journeys Festival International – Refugee Week | Leicester / Manchester / Portsmouth | 15-25 Oct |
| Hastings Storytelling Festival | Hastings | 16-24 Oct |
| Fire on the Water | Great Yarmouth | 21 Oct-6 Nov |
| Leap Festival | Liverpool | Oct – TBC |
| The Winter Droving | Penrith | Oct – TBC |
| Yorkshire Festival of Story | Settle | Oct – TBC |
| Royal Docks Originals Festival | Royal Docks, London | Oct – TBC |
| Paisley Halloween Festival | Paisley | Oct – TBC |
| Now Northwich | Cheshire | Oct – TBC |
| The Line – Yinka Ilori | Royal Docks, London | Oct – TBC |
| Tunbridge Wells Puppet Festival | Tunbridge Wells | Oct – TBC |
| November | ||
| Light Up Lancaster | Lancaster | 5-6 Nov |
| Lumiere | Durham | 18-21 Nov |
| Illuminate Light Festival | Plymouth | 25-28 Nov |
| Leonardslee Illuminated | Horsham | 25 Nov – 22 Dec |
| December | ||
| Dunster by Candlelight | Somerset | 3-4 Dec |
| Lightwaves | Salford | 3-12 Dec |
| Woolwich Winter Warmer | Woolwich | Dec – TBC |
| January 2022 | ||
| Bexhill After Dark | East Sussex | 22 Jan 2022 |
| Various dates | Ongoing Programmes | ||
| Applause Rural Touring | Kent / East Sussex / West Sussex | Various – TBC |
| Arcola Outside | London | Various – TBC |
| Arts Alive | Shropshire | Various – TBC |
| Barbican Centre | London | Various – TBC |
| Bell Square | Hounslow | Various – TBC |
| Brick Box | Bradford | Various – TBC |
| Brighton Open Air Theatre | Brighton | Various – TBC |
| Canary Wharf Arts & Events | London | Various – TBC |
| Circulate | London | Various – TBC |
| Corn Exchange / 101 | Newbury | Various – TBC |
| Culture Weston | Weston | Various – TBC |
| DN Festivals – Right Up Your Street | Doncaster | Various – TBC |
| Dolphin Creative | National | Various – TBC |
| Emergency Exit Arts | Greenwich | Various – TBC |
| English Heritage | National | Various – TBC |
| Fool’s Paradise | National | Various – TBC |
| Festival of Fools | Belfast | Various – TBC |
| Global Streets | National | Various |
| Great Place Wentworth & Elsecar | South Yorkshire | Various – TBC |
| Lincoln Performing Arts Centre | Lincoln | Various – TBC |
| Little Angel Theatre | London | Various – TBC |
| Medway Council Events | Kent | Various – TBC |
| Minack Theatre | Cornwall | Various – TBC |
| National Trust | Swindon | Various – TBC |
| Newcastle Gateshead Initiative | Newcastle | Various – TBC |
| The Place | Bedford | Various – TBC |
| Pavillion Dance South West | Bournemouth | Various – TBC |
| Piece Hall | Halifax | Various – TBC |
| Quays Culture | Salford | Various – TBC |
| Redbridge Outdoor Arts, Vision RCL | Redbridge | Various – TBC |
| SALTo Productions | Whitley Bay | Various |
| Streets of Dundee | Dundee | Dates – TBC |
| Southbank Centre | London | Various – TBC |
| Southwark Presents | London | Various – TBC |
| Strike-a-Light | Gloucester | Various – TBC |
| Without Walls / XTRAX | National | Various |
| Biennial | ||
| Gravity Fields Festival | Grantham | Next edition 2022 |
| Cancelled | Postponed | ||
| Sandbach Transport Festival | Sandbach | Cancelled (Apr) |
| Glastonbury | Somerset | Cancelled (Jun) |
| Somerfest | Taunton | Cancelled (Jun) |
| BST Hyde Park | London | Cancelled (Jul) |
| National Theatre River Stage | London | Cancelled (Jul-Aug) |
| Llawn | Llandudno | Cancelled (Sep) |
