Written by Amanda David
London’s biggest free outdoor performing arts festival is back at iconic venues across the city, celebrating its 30th anniversary with a programme of theatre, circus, dance and street arts. This much-loved annual event is committed to diversity, celebrating the vibrant cultural mix of the city and pushing the boundaries of street art and performance; this year’s theme is Above and Beyond.
GDIF will open on Friday 22 August with French company Lézards Bleus whose new production Above and Beyond encompasses this year’s festival theme quite literally, as eight extraordinary parkour performers give a heart-stopping performance across the landmark buildings and recently relandscaped public spaces of Woolwich. This world premiere has been specially commissioned to mark the 30th anniversary of the festival with spectacular formation climbing combined with choreography and music inspired by Woolwich’s rich history of mutuality and shared endeavour. A central collaboration with the locally based Citizens of the World Choir reflects the creativity and stories of local people which have been at the heart of GDIF for the last 30 years.
Spectacular staging is central to The Weight of Water in Thamesmead on 5 – 6 September as Dutch company Panama Pictures use stunning physical theatre to explore the climate crisis. A huge floating structure tips back and forth on water, with nail-biting choreography as dancers fight to cling on.
More jaw-dropping outdoor performance is featured in Turning Worlds from 30 – 31 August at Greenwich Peninsula, staged in the Design District’s Rooftop Basketball Court alongside other vibrant and buzzing destinations. The theme of Above and Beyond is explored through trailblazing collaborations between engineering and performance including a fusion of circus and robotics, a production enabling a performer to perform vertically on a wall and a captivating dance and physical theatre performance on a giant, rotating metal spiral.
In this landmark 30th year, the much-loved Greenwich Fair returns to its historic nineteenth century home in Greenwich Park. GDIF’s reinvention of the original fair brings together a packed programme of uplifting, fun and disruptive street theatre, games and family fun to the beautifully relandscaped Wolfe Statue Piazza at the top of Greenwich Park Hill. Amongst the highlights will be extraordinary puppetry in Theatre-Rites and Miguel Altunaga’s Eshu at the Crossroads, Miss High Leg Kick’s camp and playful celebration of ecology Lady Garden and the UK premiere of a breathtaking all-female high wire performance, Epiphytes, from Belgian company Des Chaussons Rouges. Framed by London’s best view, this performance offers new perspectives on our relationship with the natural world and will provide extraordinary images of the festival theme in action.
We can’t wait for this. Check out the full listing on their website.
Organisers may cancel events, alter schedules, or change admission requirements without notice. Always check official sites before heading to an event.
