Basingstoke Festival, the award-winning free annual celebration of art, culture, heritage, community and outdoor arts returns from Friday 20 June to Sunday 6 July.
Produced by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, free performances will pop-up in Basingstoke town centre and other locations across the borough. Audiences will be able to immerse themselves in the magic of live performances, whether with a picnic to enjoy a whole day of entertainment or to pop by for a performance or two, the festival is a chance to discover new artists and celebrate the creative spirit of the borough.
The opening parade, on Friday 20 June, will set the scene for this year’s festival which will have a sustainability and inclusivity theme running through performances. Over the three weekends, a programme of new acts and some familiar festival favourites will explore environmental and nature in their shows. Expect performances ‘blooming’ with fun, energy and the weird, the wacky and the wonderful.
Part of the council’s Summer of Green events and created with local creatives Scratchbuilt Productions, a green ‘eco-zone’ will give audiences a chance to get involved in activities that promote kindness to the planet, including a show premièring from environmentalist Junk Jodie.
Returning performers Autin Dance Theatre will be premièring their new show, Up in the Sky. The outdoor aerial dance spectacle tells the story of two siblings as they navigate challenges of displacement and change. Over 100 local people will be involved in the production.
Audiences may recognise festival favourites Simple Cypher who captivated audiences at Basingstoke Festival in 2023. They return with their show SNDFX featuring a realm where movement bends sound and objects pulse with rhythm. This performance, another première for Basingstoke Festival, is a fusion of hip hop dance, physical performance and musicality.
Also returning will be Tit for Tat with their show Now I Am Become d/Deaf (Destroyer of Words). They will immerse audiences in a world where the loudest actions are lost in translation and the tiniest looks become deafening, with physical comedy, eccentric juggling and absurd acts of balance. Their show is visual spectacle which tears down barriers, celebrates silence and fires laughter in the face of frustration.
New for this year is Harvey Juggling, a 16-year-old award-winning street performer who has quickly become an iconic figure in Covent Garden. Harvey’s performances consist of comedy and juggling and incorporate dangerous circus stunts to keep audiences entertained and captivated.
Chad Taylor Dance will debut at Basingstoke Festival with Closer to My Dreams which weaves poetry and rap with hip hop choreography. Living very parallel lives, the story shows the journey of two brothers forging relationships with their peers and their family along with romantic attachments.
Also new for this year is Farm Yard Circus – a warm and cheery, family-friendly, farm-life inspired circus spectacle. Expect a bewildering display of group acrobatics and juggling using hay bales, wheelbarrows, a tractor tyre and even an old scarecrow! The show features old-time tunes and raucous rhythms that will bring the cows home.
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Sports, Leisure and Culture Cllr Kerry Morrow said: “Every year Basingstoke Festival showcases the best local and national artists, and this year will be no exception.
“The festival promises something for the most inquisitive minds with street theatre, circus, dance and activities to take part in. Acts will be appearing in communities across our borough as well as Basingstoke town centre so that everyone has the chance to enjoy the arts.”
More information about Basingstoke Festival and how residents and visitors can take part is on the website at www.BasingstokeFestival.co.uk or on social media channels @BasingstokeFestival on Facebook and @BstokeFestival on Instagram.
Basingstoke Festival is part of Without Walls, a network of organisations bringing innovative outdoor arts to towns and cities across England. Find out more on www.WithoutWalls.uk.com.