Here is your #OutdoorArts roundup – find out what’s happening over the next few weeks!

Bradford | 28-29 Jul | BD: Festival will transform Bradford’s city centre into an imaginative, cultural explosion for all the family to enjoy. From innovative street theatre to immersive cultural installations and hip-hop hippo routines to interactive edible exhibitions. RUSH by Joss Arnott Dance, Mirage (A Day of Celebration) by CIE DYPTIK, Ancient Futures by Unlimited Theatre and Upswing, Nero’s Ices by Bloomin’ Buds Theatre, Hippos by Zum Zum Theatre, Underlooked by Vince Virr Aerial and more!

Exmouth | 28-31 Jul | Exmouth Festival is a free festival of the arts from film to music, through literature, performance and craft. Fuel your imagination and be a part of something unexpected! Don’t miss The Old Time Sailors, Brave Bold Drama, Hoopla! Circus Show by Thomas Trilby and Ben the Juggler, ‘Oriente Plus/ Power Cut’ by Signdance Collective, and Uncle Tacko’s Flea Circus by Promenade Productions.

Birmingham | 28 Jul – 6 Aug | Birmingham Festival is the official first-anniversary festival for, and in celebration of, the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.  Proudly outdoors and free to access the Festival will echo the city-centre experience of the Games, taking over Centenary Square with live music and performance, creative and participatory activities, and big-screen content to conjure the shared moments, magic and memories of ‘22. Don’t miss Kamchatka, Fatt Projects,  Linden Dance Company, Lynnebec, Parade – The Giant Wheel by Autin Dance Theatre, Where All Paths Lead by 2FacedDance, Solara by Critical Mass Dance Collective, Teabreak by Trigger and Mughal Miniatures by Sonia Sabri Company.

Sandown | 29 Jul | Sandown Carnival starts with the Children’s Carnival Parade at 11am before an afternoon of music, magic and fun. The Main Carnival parade closes the celebrations at 7pm.

Euston | 29 Jul | Regent’s Roots, organised by Old Diorama, is taking to the streets to celebrate the community through a vibrant mix of performance, dance, circus, workshops, interactive art, inflatables and food, as part of Camden’s South Asian Heritage Month programme. Don’t miss Pravaas by Akademi, Lucky Pigeons by Brainfools, Town Criers by Emergency Chorus, The Dance We Made by Casson and Friends, and Talkaoke by The People Speak.

Liverpool & Bedworth | 29 Jul – 26 Aug | Imagine Bamboo Is Everywhere will see an epic bamboo collaboration across Liverpool City Region, Bamboo Circus R&D with NoFit State, bamboo builds in the communities of Nuneaton and Bedworth, plus further projects to be announced. The programme builds on the success of the Imagine Bamboo Summit and the R&D work that took place in 2022.

Worthing | Spin Out Festival features a range of mesmerising open-air performances from the best and most exciting theatre, circus, street arts, music and dance performers.

  • 29 Jul | Bells, Beats and Banter is Nina Rajarani’s new fast-paced outdoor piece – the choreographic equivalent of speed-dating, with exciting dynamics and coquettish cross-rhythms that reveal all the fun and freedom of youth.
  • 5 Aug | Look Mum, No Hands! by Daryl & Co/Mimbre) is a coming-of-age story about two friends who see how freedom, taking risks and independence change, depending on whether you’re disabled, or not.

London | Jul & Aug | Kensington & Chelsea Festival is a multi-arts festival born out of a desire to lift spirits by celebrating culture and creativity, including creative experiments enabling audiences to see artists bringing new ideas to life:

  • 29 Jul | Crow is a new show from Avanti Display, a company that has been making outdoor performances all over the world for over thirty years.
  • 29-30 Jul | Choogh Choogh by Beeja Dance evokes the sights, sounds and smells of South Asia through dance.
  • 29-30 Jul | Circus Flavours (Upswing) showcases the breadth of talent from Upswing’s pool of diverse, energetic & highly skilled Associate Artists as they share a showcase of high–quality circus performances. Each performance is followed by an open …
  • 29-30 Jul | Lance Moi En: L’air by Joli Vyann is an acrobatics performance about the sensitivity and connection between two people which brings about compatible contradictions.
  • 5-6 Aug | The Swings by All or Nothing Two is a giant swing set, where aerial dance is performed before they open to the public to sit and swing on, triggering a sound installation as they swing.
  • 5-6 Aug | Crawdaddy by Gravity & Levity is an aerial dance piece where performers tumble, spin and glide through a looming wooden and metal aerial rig, navigating the nature of human relationships, both literally & metaphorically.

Manchester | 29 Jul | Break out your deckchair and ditch the morning rush at Manchester Day – On Holiday! This year the Council is once again teaming up with Walk The Plank to offer a jam-packed schedule of family fun, that will see Manchester city centre transformed from dawn ‘til dusk, bringing the holiday vibes without having to go near the M60.

Middlesborough | 29 Jul | Hi! Street Fest is in Middlesborough, celebrating what’s special about our high streets. Giant puppet Farrah the Fox will be welcomed by a host puppet created with residents through weeks of community workshops and activities with Emergency Exit Arts and Thingumajig Theatre, in partnership with Historic England.

Watchet | 29-30 Jul | Watchet Carnival Weekend brings the whole town together. Come along, join in the fun, bring your family, friends and spread the word! A fantastic two-day free community event with a full programme of fun activities and entertainment.

Hull | 1-6 Aug | At Hull International Carnival you will enter a carnival for visitors from all around the World, which encompasses a splendour of colours, music and dances featuring floats, live music, poetry, puppets, dance performances and more!

London Bridge | 2 Aug | Love’s Labours Lost at Summer by the River by Changeling Theatre. Widely believed to be the prequel to Much Ado About Nothing, this early Shakespeare promises luscious costumes and a few surprises. If you loved Netflix’s Bridgerton, then this show is perfect for you!

Stockton | 3-6 Aug | Stockton International Riverside Festival boasts some of the best artists and performers from across the world, SIRF brings magical and exciting performances, stunning visual experiences, daring dance, live music, circus and more. Don’t miss 16rpm, Akademi, 2Faced Dance, Unlimited Theatre and Upswing, Alleyne Dance, Murmuration Arts, Tit for Tat, James Taylor With Dave Lovatt, Knot on Hands, Fairly Famous Family, Fairly Famous Family, Eléctrico 28, Hands Down Circus, Hikapee, Def Motion, She Said Jump, Pif Paf, Le Grand Jeté, Cie Bivouac, Avanti Display, Teatro Só, Tripotes la Compagnie, Meta4 Dance, Joss Arnott Dance, Global Grooves, Ghetto Fabulous, Dr Jones and Professor Barnard’s Medicine Show, Darryl J Carrington, and CirkVOST.

Charlbury | Wilderness | 3-6 Aug | Wilderness Festival is a four-day party like no other. A weekend of escapism, high jinks, and wholesome hedonism. This is the place where you can be who you want to be. Step in, explore and indulge your wild side. Don’t miss new work from Candoco Dance Company, KIZLAR by Ceyda Tanc Dance, Moths at Work – Moon by PifPaf Theatre, walkabout from Natural Theatre Company, a Maypole Workshop & Ceilidh Jam with Folk Dance Remix and more!

Waterford | 4-6 Aug | Spraoi International Street Arts Festival will present performers from around the world, offering an amazing free street party by day and night, featuring: street theatre, music, contemporary circus and spectacle. Don’t miss performances from the Four Nations Outdoor Arts Bursary artists: Gaia Cicolani, George H Wale & Ed Myhill, The Doing Group, and Those Two Idiots; Beautiful Bones by Surge; and more Outdoor Arts from Dizzy O’Dare, Be Flat, Farmyard Circus, The Working Boys Club, Adrenalism, Company Chameleon, and Curious State.

Aldershot | 4-6 Aug | Bula Festival showcases Fijian culture through traditional practices, song, dance, food, and drink. This year will also include a Festival of Praise on the third day,  where the community will come together for a day of praise, worship and celebration through bands, choirs and performances for all faiths.

Andover | 4-25 Aug | Four Fun Fridays brings performances and interactive work to the streets of Andover every Friday in August!

Leicester | 5 Aug | Leicester Caribbean Carnival is a fantastic spectacle of colour, costume, drama, and dance celebrating Caribbean culture. The theme for this year is “Out of this World” and the opening ceremony starts at 12pm.

Leamington Spa | 5-6 Aug | Art in the Park 2023 is a free curated arts festival with a difference. This year’s theme is “Present”, so go eat, drink, dance and open yourself to the moment! Don’t miss Autin Dance Theatre, Earth-bound (Sioda Adams), Heartbreak Productions, Motionhouse, Vital Moves Hooper Hoops, and SpOt drama.

Peterborough | 5 Aug | Millfield Festival is the best way to celebrate Millfield and its vibrant communities – with music, dance, storytelling, community, arts & crafts, food and more! Don’t miss Mughal Miniatures by Sonia Sabri Company, Do What Ya Mama Told Ya! by Just More Productions, and Crazy Football by Fairly Famous Family.

Ewhurst | 5 Aug | Ewhurst Carnival is a fun day of festivities including children’s rides, animals, music, tea tents, classic cars, a dog show, an open mic and lots of stalls for all the family.

France | 6-20 Aug | Champ Libre (Festival Aurillac) is a compendium of contemporary creation that explores all spaces and possibilities and experiments with new ways of living the world and sharing it.
Stubbornly defending culture, art, freedom of expression, and street theatre, this festival celebrates freedom and diversity.

Hampshire | 9-13 Aug | Boomtown is packed full of theatre and creative masterpieces, with immersive districts to explore. This year’s theme is ‘The Twin Trail’ – is our story one of control, fear and isolation, or one of freedom, love and connection? It is time to go deeper, walk the Twin Trail, and conduct a revolution of the mind.

London | 9-13 Aug | King’s Cross Summer Sounds is one of London’s most inclusive free music festivals. Catch live concerts every evening from 6.30-8.30pm and from 1-6pm on Family Sundays. Don’t miss Step Hop House, Ceilidh Jam and The Maypole Workshop by Folk Dance Remixed, ARCADE by Casson & Friends, and performances from Simple Cypher.

Staines | 9 Aug | Gravity at Staines Outdoor Theatre Season is a hand-to-hand acrobatics performance by Motionhouse inspired by the first moon landing. Watch two white-clad performers in an evocative exploration of weightlessness and zero gravity.

Prescot | 11-13 Aug | Serious Nonsense Festival transforms Prescot Town Centre into a chaotic festival of fun! Don’t miss Mr Lear and the Rocket by Walk the Plank featuring Imaginarium Theatre, Cheapskate Catering by Vamos Theatre, Box and The Crow House by Circo Rum Ba Ba, Got Your Nose By Tin Arts, Kit and Caboodle by Thingumajig Theatre, and the Phileas Fogg Victorian Hot Air Balloonists.

Newcastle | 11-13 Aug | NOVUM – Newcastle Summer Festival – is a brand-new multi-artform event transforming the Civic Centre and surrounding gardens into a cultural playground, where audiences can make, explore and engage with art, music, performances and installations. Don’t miss Olivier Grossetête’s Monumental Construction and Destruction – made by the people for the people.

Thoresby Park | 11-13 Aug | Gloworm Festival is a 5-time Uk Festival award-nominated, family-friendly festival that brings music, art and entertainment to the heart of Sherwood Forest. Festival goers are invited to come and play in a warm and welcoming environment, inspiring the imaginations of children big and small with a wealth of entertainment including puppet shows from HandMade Theatre.