Coming up over the next two weeks…
There’s loads of great outdoor arts to see at Our Future Starts Here, a free weekend of innovative art installations, performance, talks, and children’s activities in Grimsby this weekend. Be sure to catch Ray Lee, Tell Tale Hearts theatre company, Studio Go Go, Urban Canvas, Stopgap Dance Company, Motionhouse, Highly Sprung, Jason Singh, Ockham’s Razor, 2Faced Dance Company, Fluid Motion Theatre & Lorna Rees, Strong Lady Productions, Rhubarb Theatre, and Requardt & Rosenberg.
Wye Valley River Festival makes a triumphant return to the Wye Valley today, running until 5 Jun, with a packed programme of shows, workshops, performances, installations and public debates. Tomorrow Monmouth will host a Merry Mischief Day, where family friendly free entertainment, performance and music will take over the streets of Monmouth, including Acrojou, Circii, Pif Paf, Rag n Bone, The Bikesplorers, Circo Rum Ba Ba, Engage Circus and Savoy Youth Theatre, Taking Flight Theatre, and The Wod Wos trio.
It’s the last few days of Brighton Festival this weekend, but there’s still loads to enjoy! See Peaceophobia by Common Wealth & Fuel until Sunday, As You Like It by The Lord Chamberlain’s Men until Saturday, and SMOOSH! by Paraorchestra on Saturday and Sunday. The Lord Chamberlain’s Men then take As You Like It on a national tour, visiting the Isle of Wight Steam Railway 1 Jun, Hay Festival 2-4 Jun, Shakespeare in Burgess Hill 5 Jun, Glastonbury Abbey 8 Jun, Stonor Park 9 Jun, with many more locations this summer.
It’s also the last weekend of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival. Discover Norwich of the past, present and future through newly commissioned stories from five brilliant writers with ties to the city in Wandering Words: A Guided Walking Tour of Norwich UNESCO City of Literature. Then this evening and tomorrow evening experience Signal at Dusk by Strijbos & Van Rijswijk, a piece composed for the festival with their renowned Signal technology where 20 long throw speakers and four live sopranos will transform the surroundings of Great Yarmouth, and you are in control of your own musical experience.
Returning for 2022 with a full programme, with lots of exciting outdoor arts, Salisbury International Arts Festival runs until 18 Jun. Tomorrow is the Bemerton Beach Party, then on Sunday see Lives of Clay by The Clay Connections and Supple Productions, on 30 May see SCRUM by Avant Garde Dance, and on 31 May it’s the Tidworth Family Fiesta. There’s also a special Jubilee Bank Holiday treat for all the family on 2-3 Jun with City Encounters, where the city will come alive with street theatre, dance, and spectacle, featuring Fatt Projects, Collectif and then…, Daryl Beeton Productions and Mimbre, and Joli Vyann.
Sanctuary, a unique commemorative public memorial by David Best built in the stunning Miners’ Welfare Park in the heart of Bedworth, comes to a dramatic conclusion tomorrow. Produced by Artichoke, in association with Imagineer, Sanctuary stands as an unforgettable temporary structure, offering a moment to commemorate the nation’s loss during the Covid-19 pandemic. On Saturday witness a spectacular finale that will see the structure be ceremonially set alight in a powerful symbol of rebirth.
Pack a picnic, grab your friends, and enjoy some outdoor theatre from The Handlebards, with their new tour of Twelfth Night at Norwich Theatre this evening, St George’s Theatre tomorrow, Diss Park on Sunday, and many more locations throughout the summer. Green Space Dark Skies, led by Walk the Plank, heads to Exmoor National Park tomorrow. 20,000 people will become Lumenators, each carrying a low impact light into the landscape, making patterns on mountains, lakes and moorland.
The Out of this World Summer Festival 2022 Headliner Weekend is today and tomorrow! The Headliner Weekend experience starts with Geophonic (Lorna Rees) for a live art geology journey that will take you from the sea to the Future Cargo (Requardt &Rosenberg) festival site for 2 performances each night with pop up dance events, a rustic bar and food plus a Saturday Silent Disco finale. Today also sees the return of Bath Fringe Festival, with the Radstock Jubilee festival on 4 Jun, a free family friendly outdoor arts event in St Nicholas Church Field. Witness the finest theatrical acts, silly spectacle, quirky comedy and Bath’s very own Natural Theatre, see local musicians, singers, and dance acts, and take part in creative workshops.
Quantum Theatre begin their national tours of three summer shows in the next two weeks, starting with The Tales of Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny at Moira Furnace Museum tomorrow, The Reluctant Dragon at Sacrewell on 4 Jun, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Jarrow Hall on 8 Jun. If you’re visiting Purbeck Art Weeks Festival next weekend be sure to catch Autin Dance Theatre with Out of the Deep Blue on 4 Jun, an outdoor physical theatre spectacular featuring a sea giant puppet, five puppeteers and a female dancer.
It’s Carnival time! Grab you’re friends and family and head to the Whitley Bay Carnival tomorrow for the colourful costumed walking parade at the heart of a full day of live music, street theatre and celebration from 10am on rainbow corner Marine Ave, The links and the Spanish City Plaza, with a finale event from the Spark! LED Drummers at 7pm. Then next weekend Luton International Carnival is back for its 46 year as part of Luton’s Jubilee Weekend celebrations on 4 Jun, returning to the streets with a spectacular parade.
Join Illyria on an adventure to Neverland in their national tour of Peter Pan, kicking off tomorrow evening at Hearn Field, Combeinteignhead, then at Merlin Theatre on Sunday afternoon. The Three Inch Fools are also hitting the road this weekend with two brand new shows, see The Gunpowder Plot this evening at Eastbury Manor House and tomorrow at West Horsley Place, and Twelfth Night at Dunster Castle on Sunday. On 5 Jun performers, dancers, musicians, military personnel, key workers and volunteers will unite to tell the story of The Queen’s 70 year reign in an awe-inspiring festival of creativity for the Platinum Jubilee Pageant. See below for all the details.
Streets of Rother, 18 Hours’ annual street art festival, is back for 2022 with Streets of Bexhill tomorrow. See Streets with Attitude by Dulce Duca, D.O.C by Safety Catch Theatre, Strong Enough by Strong Lady Productions, Students from Active Arts Hastings and Bexhill Mencap mentored by Inside Out Theatre Company, and Dende Sama Drumming Group. For an epic prehistoric adventure for all the family head to Dino Kingdom in Leicester, running until 12 Jun. Marvel as cutting-edge 3D mapping and AR technology brings ancient history back to life right in front of your eyes, and enjoy interactive activities, fun games, and thrilling fairground rides.
If you’re in Spain, Festival Internacional de Teatro y Artes de Calle runs until Sunday, transforming public spaces in the city of Valladolid. In the Netherlands until 6 Jun there’s great outdoor arts at the Karavaan Festival in the Groot Alkmaar region, presenting exceptional quality arts of all disciplines. Also in the Netherlands, Fries StraatFestival runs this weekend, turning the centre of Leeuwarden upside down with a programme full of street theatre, circus, dance, live music, installations, and performances. Every two years, the city of Rastatt hosts the Internationales Straßentheaterfestival tête à tête, the largest street theatre festival of its kind in Germany, and it’s running until Sunday. Also this weekend in Slovakia is Festival Cirkul´art, an international festival in Bratislava centred around contemporary theatre and modern circus.
Oddsocks Productions begin their summer tour of Hamlet The Comedy on 7 Jun at The Church Green, Much Wenlock. See Shakespeare’s famous tragedy performed as you’ve never seen it before with lots of laughs, music and memorable moments. Also starting their summer tour are New Creations Collective with The Secret Garden, a completely new and original production based on the bestselling novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, re-telling the story through classical music and dance. See this family-friendly, immersive performance at Swanley Park on 4 Jun.
Enjoy an afternoon of outdoor entertainment at Penlee Park Open Air Theatre, in the heart of Penzance, kicking off their summer season with David Walliams’ Awful Auntie on 30 May. On 3 Jun head to the Corby Pole Fair 2022 for outdoor attractions and entertainment, featuring the walking parade organised by Corby Carnival and led by four giant puppets, Strong Lady Productions, and local acts including Corby Silver Band and the Deep Roots Tall Trees choir. Eden Festival runs 9-12 Jun, set in the stunning Raehills Meadows and hosting 10 different stages, kids arena, circus tent, drive in cinema, comedy, cabaret and workshops, as well as a feast of performers, artworks, games and much more!
The 8th year of the T100 festival is upon us, taking place from 2-25 Jun, and this year T100 People will feature events, walks, talks and community celebrations along the Thames Estuary celebrating Thurrock’s key workers and community. The festival will also feature The Thank You Dance, a section of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant that will be on The Mall on the 5 Jun, created by and featuring people from Thurrock. There’s something for everyone to enjoy at the ???????????????????????????? ???????????????? ????????????????, on 4 Jun at Avenham Park, with a fun filled programme of International, National and local artists, workshops, and stalls.
Breathe:2022 will be taking over Lewisham on sites near the South Circular Road showcasing the impact of air pollution on the borough and beyond until 30 Nov. Breathe:2022 will be a striking multi-part new public artwork that updates Dryden Goodwin’s 2012 Breathe original and will see people from local activist groups including Choked Up, Mums for Lungs and the Ella Roberta Family Foundation, being drawn and animated as they ’breathe’ and ’fight for breath’.
Celebrate World Environment Day at the Arts and Biodiversity Celebration Festival 2022 in Newcastle upon Tyne from 3-5 Jun. Head to the Summerhill Pavilion and Gardens for a fun-packed nature-filled three days for all the family, including an art ‘insectibition’, insect parade, costume making, music, and street theatre from Madame Zucchini, Bedlam Oz, Neighbourhood Watch Stilts Intonational, and local circus performers.
