FESTIVAL DATES 2026

Whirligig Festival
Festival dates: 06/06/2026 - 07/06/2026
Super Culture’s flagship festival, Whirligig in Weston-super-Mare, is a vibrant, weekend event in the heart of the town that presents a mix of local, national and international outdoor arts. Super Culture also involves local organisations such as XR, Weston Pride and Weston College in associated creative activity on the Festival site in order to embed Whirligig firmly in the heart of the community.
The festival is playful and family-friendly, and Super Culture look for content that challenges, surprises, inspires and entertains.
Without Walls Shows: Closer To My Dreams, HUG, Hydropunk
SO Festival
Festival dates: 12/06/2026 - 14/06/2026
Join us for Lincolnshire’s free international festival of outdoor arts, where the pavements, parks and promenades of Skegness and Mablethorpe come alive with theatre, dance, music and comedy from local, national and international artists. A programme of artists designed to take you on a joyful journey of discovery.
SO Festival is more than a festival. Throughout the year, we support and invest in creatives and cultural organisations across Lincolnshire, offering workshops, masterclasses, collaborations and opportunities for local people to make and shape art. Working closely with our communities, we’re committed to co-curating and co-creating work that reflects the voices, ideas and talents of our communities.
Without Walls Shows: A la Puppet Carte, Betty Brown Bags, Hydropunk, TEABREAK, The Hide
Basingstoke Festival
Festival dates: 19/06/2026 - 05/07/2026
Basingstoke Festival is produced by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council. It is an annual arts festival designed to showcase the best of the arts locally, nationally and internationally. From music to dance, visual art to theatre, the festival aims to bring the very best arts to audiences and those wishing to take part, by presenting experiences in the most unusual places.
An Indian Summer
Festival dates: 03/07/2026 - 05/07/2026
Produced by Inspirate, their Summer festival was born to share the sights, sounds and wonders of South Asia in the heart of Britain!
Their mission is to celebrate the shared culture between the Indian subcontinent and the UK – nurturing exciting artistic collaborations and educating people from all walks of life about the past, present and future of our global community.
Barnsley’s Big Weekend
Festival dates: 11/07/2026 - 12/07/2026
Barnsley town centre hosts an exciting programme of festivals and cultural activities throughout the year – delivered by Barnsley Arts & Events team.
Barnsley Arts & Events team deliver a wide range of high-quality outdoor festivals. The team were crowned Best Local Authority Events Team at the National Outdoor Events Association Awards (NOEA) in 2022.
Ensemble Festival
Festival dates: 25/07/2026 - 26/07/2026
Certain Blacks presents performance, live art, music and theatre and the creative voice of our diverse society. Our philosophy is to provide performance opportunities for new, emerging and established artists of the highest quality. The organisation aims to challenge the norms of performance and what is seen as diverse. Certain Blacks presents art from the margins into the mainstream.
Vision Redbridge Culture & Leisure
Festival dates: 25/07/2026 - 26/09/2026
Vision Redbridge Culture and Leisure is a Leisure Trust based in the London borough of Redbridge, a registered charity and non-profit organisation where any surplus made is reinvested for community benefit to improve the quality of facilities and services offered to Redbridge residents. As a social enterprise, Vision RCL is committed to working in partnership with the London Borough of Redbridge to deliver a wide range of leisure and cultural services to the communities that they serve. Vision Redbridge run events across the summer, for more information on the various dates, please visit their website.
Without Walls Shows: Roots to Rise, RO-TES-រទេះ, Go Grandad Go!
Picnic in the Park
Festival dates: 02/08/2026 - 30/08/2026
The Culture House is a pioneering arts organisation based in Grimsby, passionately serving the community and beyond, by creating thoughtful and imaginative festivals, events and projects all designed to uplift, stimulate and positively impact.
They work to ensure more people have access to cultural opportunities and believe everyone deserves the best no matter what their background or where they live.
Part of their long running summer programme, Picnic in the Park takes place on Sunday afternoons in August, within the beautiful surroundings of People’s Park – a Victorian park in central Grimsby.
Between the Tides
Festival dates: 22/08/2026 - 23/08/2026
Between the Tides is Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council’s free outdoor festival for children, young people and families. Now in their third year, they have a new location at Kirkleatham where you will find them in the grounds of the Museum and the Walled Garden. The festival will transform Kirkleatham into an exciting spectacle of theatre, puppetry, circus, dance, storytelling, live music and more with a fabulous family-friendly programme.
Birmingham Weekender
Festival dates: 29/08/2026 - 31/08/2026
Birmingham Weekender in partnership with Birmingham Hippodrome and Bullring returns this summer with exciting events and performances – bringing joyful and thought-provoking experiences to the city’s streets, squares, and shopping centres. The awe-inspiring arts festival features fantastical installations, pop-up experiences, exciting new commissions and spectacular performances from local, national and international companies. The festival is FREE to attend.
Freedom Festival
Festival dates: 03/09/2026 - 06/09/2026
Freedom Festival Arts Trust delivers a bold, year-round programme of arts, culture and heritage with freedom at its core. From producing Hull’s flagship Freedom Festival to commissioning ambitious new work for public and civic spaces, we create extraordinary live experiences that animate the city and reach audiences across Hull, East Riding and beyond.
The Full Shebang Festival
Festival dates: 05/09/2026
Put simply, First Art is about making good things happen through the arts.
Through a diverse arts programme, First Art works to bring inspirational cultural experiences within reach of everyone living in Ashfield, Bolsover, Mansfield and North East Derbyshire, as well as helping local people to produce and shape their own cultural experiences and events. The Full Shebang Festival is a whole day of outdoor performances, street theatre, dance, hands-on fun and more in Mansfield.
Arts by the Sea
Festival dates: 25/09/2026 - 26/09/2026
The Arts by the Sea festival is an annual celebration of culture, people and place, bringing an intriguing, exciting and carnivalesque mix of the arts to the beautiful outdoor spaces of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. Arts by the Sea is managed and produced by BCP Council and funded by BCP Council and Arts Council England.
The festival supports local talent development, celebrates our diverse communities, and promotes sustainability. BCP Council aims to increase opportunities for people for participate in the arts and enhance a sense of community while showcasing work which makes a real impact on the audience and on the area.
Without Walls Shows: FLOOD, Hydropunk, The Hide