A festival where international and local performers come together to bring you jaw-dropping outdoor arts experiences in the heart of Weston-super-Mare.
There’s a fantastic line-up of Outdoor Arts performances, parades, workshops and installations this year including the Paraorchestra, Collectif Malunés, Alleyne Dance, Motionhouse, Avanti Display, Dizzy O’Dare, Thingumajig Theatre, Megan Clark-Bagnall, Circomedia, Simple Cypher, Spitz & Co, Jones and Barnard and Luke Jerram
9-10 Sep
CLIMATE CARNIVAL 9 Sep 11am from Tropicana to Italian Gardens.
Join this climate-themed Carnival that will kick off our festival weekend and creatively shine a light on climate justice, looking at ways that we can positively impact our world. The procession through the town centre will feature a wild array of inspiring community projects, culminating in the Italian Gardens as the rest of Whirligig Festival unfolds.
SMOOSH! with Paraorchestra 10 Sep – timings & starting points tbc
Paraorchestra brings a high-energy wind and brass band and a troupe of dancers to the streets of Weston for an on-the-move performance of kaleidoscopic pop-karaoke classics – think Fatboy Slim meets Kate Bush meets Basement Jaxx. In SMOOSH!, a core of Paraorchestra musicians, plus an array of local performers including Weston & Wind Worle Band, performing arts students from Weston College and members of North Somerset Music Service, are joined by professional dancers to form a mobile human jukebox.
THE ACTS:
VENUE 1 – ITALIAN GARDENS
Collectif Malunés – WE AGREE TO DISAGREE
Franco-Belgian contemporary circus company, Collectif Malunés, explore the utopian idea of democracy in this participative show where the audience has its say. Step into their territory and become actors in this interactive circus experience. You may even have the chance to become a figurehead! But be careful not to get locked up in prison. Can we find a way, on this great human adventure, to live equally and in harmony? High-flying subversive thrills along the way guaranteed.
Alleyne Dance – BONDED
Performed by twin sisters Kristina and Sadé Alleyne, BONDED, explores the construct of human dependency – especially that of siblings – and how time and external conditions can affect the synergetic connection. The work takes the audience through a transitional journey of inter-and-independency through abstract dance narrative.
Motionhouse – CAPTIVE
Four dancers perform this exciting blend of dance, acrobatics and aerial work inside a large cage. Disorientated and shaken, the performers use their skill and instinct to survive in this emotionally charged and athletic piece. Inspired by Rainer Maria Rilke’s poem The Panther, this extraordinary outdoor show explores notions of captivity. Extremely physical, Captive is a thrilling blend of dance and acrobatics with a dynamic narrative exploring human relationships in captivity.
Avanti Display – SPURTING MAN
‘One of the classic street theatre shows of the last twenty years.’ The show dissects the unequal relationship between the famous specialty performer, ‘The Spurting Man’, and his downtrodden assistant, leading to a series of hilarious comic interactions and displays of squirting water. Finally crowned and, on top of his pedestal, the grand finale takes place and ‘The Spurting Man’ cascades fountains of water from his body. Since this classic European street theatre show was first created in 1995, Avanti Display have presented ‘The Spurting Man’ on four continents and in nineteen different countries and can now add Weston to the list!
Dizzy O’Dare – THE GIANT BALLOON SHOW
“Never laughed so much, my jaws are still aching!” The Giant Balloon Show will have the audience in stitches and in awe simultaneously, with its hilarious one-man show pushing balloons to their extreme. Expect feverous balloon sculptures, high-energy comic performance and, of course, the all-important giant balloon as the ever popular Dizzy O’Dare returns to Weston! Take everything you know about balloons, add an award-winning entertainer and an 80s soundtrack, and twist that into a highly entertaining show for the whole family.
Thingumajig – HIPPOCHONDRIAC
Part animal and part mechanical, Hieronymus the hippo is feeling under the weather. Fortunately, his companion doctor/mechanic is only too eager to show you what’s under the bonnet to diagnose the problem. What follows is an array of puppet shows built into the troubled creature revealing the origin of his malaise. Look out for Hieronymus in this irresistible walkabout show on the High Street and help him to feel better!
Megan Clark-Bagnall – YOU SHRINE
Artist and social maker Megan Clark-Bagnall salutes all things that POP in Weston, celebrating the people of Weston with a kaleidoscopic nod to the Beatles visit to the town 60 years ago. Join the Whirligig Beetles inside The Sovereign at the ‘You Shrine’ pop-up photo installation to capture your fabulous self. Then out to the Italian Gardens to drink in a vibrant ‘Celebration of Life’ performance with Beetles of one kind or another.
Circomedia – CIRCUS WORKSHOPS
Try your hands (or feet!) at an array of spectacular circus skills from aerial to acrobatics, juggling to balance as the circus professionals from Bristol-based, internationally-acclaimed Circomedia lead a series of playful, family workshops.
VENUE 2 – SUPER WONDER SHRINE
Simple Cypher – ROLL PLAY
Prepare to be amazed by the explosive tricks and artful dexterity of Simple Cypher’s newest outdoor production Roll Play. Three performers blur the boundaries between hip hop and circus, using intricate moves and virtuosic agility to give a captivating, cheeky and effortlessly cool performance. A folding bench is the meeting point for three strangers from different walks of life; a park bench, a bus stop, a waiting room. What unfolds is a series of playful interactions challenging identity, status and societal roles. Divisions between class, race and education are shattered as the characters go on a journey of building trust, lending support and discovering connections between one another.
Spitz & Co – ELVIS IN BLUE HAWAII
“The funniest and silliest thing I’ve ever seen – pure joy.” Stagetalk Magazine Award-winning Elvis impersonator Joe Reeve stars in his own version of the classic Elvis film “Blue Hawaii”. Assisted by over-enthusiastic Tour Manager Josephine Cunningham, this is a musical comedy which will leave you all shook up! Highly visual with lots of audience interaction, plus all your favourite Elvis numbers, this a show that all the family can enjoy.
Jones and Barnard – THE VARIETY SPECTACULAR
A satirical exploration examining the eccentricities of the collective British character through the universal language of eccentric dance, circus skills, classic song and variety skill routines, entwined with an original funky soundtrack and intimate comedy. This duo have a totally fresh approach to the presentation of comedy classics, combined with a sensitive use of volunteers to comedic effect making the audience part of, not apart from, the show.
VENUE 3 – MARINE LAKE
Luke Jerram – CROSSINGS
Ten Stories about Boats, Birds, Sounds, the Sweet Potato, Plastic and especially, People. Take to a rowing boat on Weston’s Marine Lake and lap up the amazing stories within artist Luke Jerram’s thought-provoking and immersive artwork, Crossings in this stunning, seaside setting. Crossings is a new installation created by multidisciplinary artist Luke Jerram and BBC Radio 4 producer Julian May, which was commissioned by Compton Verney for its first presentation during summer 2022.
