Bloomsbury Festival 2021 announces the full festival programme of over 100 events for the annual festival, which this year runs 15 – 24 October in venues across Bloomsbury, London, with a theme of ‘Shining Light’. Many of the festival events are free to attend.
Over 100 performances, talks, walks and exhibitions unearth the stories of new arrivals, rebels, women, refugees, cultural groups, freethinkers, alongside ground-breaking science, and contributions from artists and scientists working with people with visual impairments, in an outstanding programme which launches in full today.
The 2021 Festival programme places the stories of the people, places and cultures of Bloomsbury in the foreground, taking the great creative talent of local established institutions and adding in the emerging talent with new themes and threads – shining light on the tradition of freethinking and celebrating the ‘rebels’ within Bloomsbury and the surrounding areas.
Exhibitions and plays about women are featured – those who have been prominent both in the community and internationally, alongside lesser heard women’s voices including some who have been wrongly accused of insurrection and even murder. Highlights include I, Minnie Lansbury, by Bren Gosling, a play commissioned by The George Lansbury Trust with an accompanying talk; an outdoor performance telling the story of Eliza Fenning, a cook hanged in 1815 for attempting to poison her employers; and a series of walks uncovering the stories of the famous and not-so famous residents of Bloomsbury, past and present.
The Festival is partnering with local cultures including the Bangladeshi and other South Asian communities to highlight their achievements and artists, alongside offering a new generation of local young people the opportunity to work alongside leading creatives. 2021 marks 50 years of Bangladeshi independence and several celebratory events take place during the Festival, including an outdoor event at the British Library and an outdoor exhibition, curated by the community, that tells the stories of migration from Bangladesh to Camden,
Bloomsbury Festival are working with scientists and academics to give us a new perspective on light with a two day Shining Light Discovery Hub at University of London’s Senate House, including interactive exhibitions from numerous partners for families and schools, and talks aimed at audiences 12+.
The festival’s year round New Wave programme supports emerging creative talent in the area, with a new theatre writing bursary scheme, an exhibition featuring the winners of a Fine Art competition, a weekend of new theatre from six emerging companies to be presented at RADA Studio theatre, and an outstanding programme of music.
Festival director Rosemary Richards said, “It is really a pleasure to see how the full programme has taken shape after our early discussions with partners, and how our theme, Shining Light, has enabled us to take new paths into the cultural community, provide new opportunities and exciting events. The festival brings together over 100 partners presenting events, talks and exhibitions and we hope that the programme will offer every audience member something new and surprising that will change the way they think about the world around them, and how we understand the world our neighbours inhabit in Bloomsbury.”
A world class local festival Bloomsbury Festival has a distinctive creative programme made by the artists, academics and residents of London’s premiere cultural quarter. Many of the Festival events are FREE to attend. 2021 sees the festival engage with new partnerships within the community, and with some of Bloomsbury’s major institutions including UCL, University of London, The Bedford Estates, and the British Library.`
