London’s “largest” and “longest established” outdoor theatre and performing festival has returned to Greenwich this week – here’s everything you need to know.
Returning to Greenwich and the Docklands, this 17-day event running from August 23 to September 8 will conclude the summer with a line-up of over 50 theatre and dance performances.
The popular annual event is organised by the Royal Borough of Greenwich and produced by Festival.org, featuring a wide variety of performances for all the family ranging from dance to illumination shows.
The festival will feature a performance of Life Lines by well-known climbing and acrobats artist Lézards Bleus, which will take guests on a tour of Greenwich Peninsula through a tour de force integration of parkour and contemporary architecture.
Deptford’s Ahoy! Centre will also play host to theatrical performances of Bodies of Water, telling the stories of refugees, based on the poem Home written by Warsan Shire and directed by Olivier-winning director Matthew Xia.
Eltham’s Well Hall Pleasaunce will serve as the stage for a performance of Crap at Animals, which will feature projections and virtual reality telling the story, as one man (played by Tom Bailey) attempts to do impressions of over 48,000 animals in under an hour.
For the festival, Thamesmead’s iconic clock tower will be decorated in illuminations created by Dante or Die to tell the story of how the world around us impacts how we feel through our home.
The illuminations will also be accompanied with folk music from Abbey Wood local Marie Bashiru alongside Thamesmead Community Choir.
The 17-day festival will take place at a number of south east and east London locations, with south London locations including Greenwich, Woolwich, Deptford and Eltham.
Tickets are free with pre-booking available online and tickets are available for events at the Old Royal Naval College in London.
A spokesperson for the Royal Borough of Greenwich said: "We’re proud to be supporting another brilliant year of Greenwich + Docklands International Festival as part of Royal Greenwich Festivals 2024, bringing our communities together to enjoy free, exciting and accessible events across our borough.
“We are all living in challenging times, across the arts and culture sector and beyond. This year's ground-breaking programme explores the festival's theme of 'All Change', and the effects these transitional periods have on us all.
"With an opening spectacle in Woolwich, and performances and events in Abbey Wood and Eltham, together we're delivering world-class arts and culture to town centres, public spaces and riverside locations across Greenwich.
“From brand new immersive theatre co- created with some of our refugee communities, to world-renowned dance performances, this year's Greenwich and Docklands International Festival will celebrate the unique heritage of the people of our borough and entertain local residents and visitors."
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