Let the countdown begin, save the dates for this year’s Festival!
Basingstoke Festival returns for its twelfth year. Pop the dates in your diary and join us from Friday 23 June to Sunday 9 July 2023 to discover art in unusual places and experience magical moments with your family at Basingstoke’s annual free outdoor summer arts festival. Delight your senses with street theatre, visual arts, circus, dance and storytelling.
Expect a programme packed with fun, energy and adventure for all the family in Basingstoke town centre and across the borough. Performances across the three weekends are free to watch. We cannot wait to share the full programme with you very soon but for now, here’s a sneak peek of what we have in store:
The festival begins with a bang on Friday 23 June 2023 with a vibrant town centre parade led by local company Fluid Motion Theatre. The theme of this year’s parade is ‘Flourish – being the best you can be’. Soak up the party atmosphere and follow the parade to the big finale: a family-friendly “positivity rave”!
The first weekend brings a fusion of hip-hop, contemporary circus and acrobatics in Roll Model by Simple Cypher, the company behind last year’s Roll Play in Eastrop Park. Expect a high energy, high impact performance scored with an explosive new Hip Hop soundtrack.
Meet outrageous mermaids and fantastical sea creatures in The Wagon of Dreams from Jellyfish Theatre, a hilariously interactive show where three best friends go on an exciting ocean adventure.
The second weekend sees the spectacle of a 15-foot-tall giant wheel and a choreographed procession on the streets of Basingstoke by Autin Dance Theatre, who previously bought the giant sea creator Eko to Basingstoke. Co-commissioned by Basingstoke Festival, Parade: The Giant Wheel is a moving performance inspired by the beauty, power and impact of people coming together from different walks of life.
There will be juggling, hand-balancing contortion, clowning and puppetry in The Precious Thing, two colourful characters have two things to do: fish for food and look after and nurture their one treasured possession, trying to keep it alive using water. What could it be?
The closing weekend brings one of the national shows coming to Basingstoke, Look Mum, No Hands! by Daryl & Co and Mimbre. It explores a coming-of-age story about two friends testing their own boundaries – a tender tale of friendship and growing up. Together they explore freedom, taking risks and independence.
The Place presents: The album: skool edition by SAY. Celebrate the joy and innocence of making up dances to exciting new music in this interactive outdoor dance show for kids and their families! SAY’s energy is infectious and will inspire you to get creative with movement too! including tracks with UK beatbox champion MC Zani and alternative pop artist Naomi Banks, this is an interactive show created specifically for kids and their families.
Not forgetting our fantastic home-grown talent, as Basingstoke Festival supports local artists including Proteus Theatre company performing ‘The Tempest’, Fluid Motion Theatre premiere their new show ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’, Scratchbuilt Productions ‘The Fairy Finders Trail’ and Junk Jodie’s new show ‘SEA-TACULAR’.
Can’t wait? Neither can we! Keep an eye on our social channels and website for the release of our 2023 programme and all up-to-date information.
Notes:
Basingstoke Festival champions new work created specifically for local audiences and supports the development of new art in the borough. The festival is produced by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.
Basingstoke Festival is a partner in Without Walls, working with festivals and artists and bringing fantastic outdoor arts to people in towns and cities across the UK. More here: www.withoutwalls.org.uk.
Basingstoke Festival is in partnership with Village Hotel Basingstoke and Festival Place.