London’s leading free festival of outdoor theatre and performance art, Greenwich + Docklands International Festival, is back for 2024
In 2022, there was a tidal wave of multi-coloured foam that cascaded through Greenwich Peninsula, in 2023, a gaggle of glowing, colour-changing robotic swans floated on the Thames after dark. This year, Greenwich + Docklands International Festival (GDIF) will see performers spend eight jaw-dropping hours on top of a block of ice suspended high above the docklands as it slowly melts away. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to 2024’s programme.
GDIF organisers have just announced the first wave of theatre and performing arts events that’ll be presented at this year’s festival, with THAW, the aerial production performed on a 2.5-tonne block of ice, standing out as a particular highlight. They’ve also announced the theme, ALL CHANGE, which is all about “celebrating change-making activism and artistic innovation whilst reflecting global and local stories of transformation”.
Some of the festival’s other events are set to include Bodies of Water, inspired by Warsan Shire’s poem HOME and produced by the same company as last year’s The Architect; TOUCH, which combines the use of a flight of stairs and gravity-defying trampoline choreography; PATOIS, a blend of contemporary and traditional Caribbean dance; and an immersive celebration of community, PRAM PEOPLE, which invites participants to join a pram party. There’s still plenty more to come, so watch this space.
Stay in the loop…
Sign up to our drops & get us in your inbox.
We’ll be in your inbox every Wednesday at 11:30am.
Put the kettle on!
Fri 23rd August – Sun 8th September 2024
Various spaces across Greenwich, Thamesmead and East London
festival.org