The National Theatre’s River Stage festival returns to the South Bank with a fantastic summer programme. Over five weekends, leading arts and culture organisations from London and beyond will take over the stage – including an unmissable line-up of performances from drag artists, dance companies, music, comedy, spoken word and more.
Celebrating the best of British culture, each weekend will be jam-packed with activities for the whole family – from beatbox and percussion workshops, to dance jams and yoga – and a special free riverside screening of Jack Absolute Flies Again streamed live from the Olivier theatre by National Theatre Live.
Opening the festival on Friday 15 July is London’s leading queer performance venue, The Glory, featuring unmissable sing and dance-a-longs by drag icons John Sizzle and Jonny Woo celebrating 50 years of Pride with The Big Gay Songbook. Enjoy stand-up comedy with Myra DuBois, line-dancing at The Barn Dance, bond theme hits with Sharon Le Grand, and booming vocals from cabaret legend Dr Adam Perchard. Get ready to party as DJ Ryan Lanji brings queer Bollywood club night, Hungama, to the South Bank for a one-night only disco. For any budding artists, Drag Life Drawing will provide the inspiration you need to create a masterpiece, alongside workshops and parties for the whole family.
Get ready for the best of Manchester as HOME returns to River Stage with award-winning theatre, drag, live music and more from Friday 22 July – with a royal opening fit for the Platinum Jubilee hosted by drag excellence Donna Trump. Singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Lakshmi, who has worked with the likes of Ed Sheeran and Tyler the Creator, graces the South Bank with soulful folk-pop music, alongside global grooves from female-fronted collective Beat Chics and thought-provoking spoken word by HOME’s Resident Artists, Young Identity. Tackling big issues with comedy and music, This Egg’s Me & My Bee show asks nature-lovers big and small to help save one bee at a time.
Curated by the next generation of young creatives, Hackney Empire Young Producers, aged 14-21, bring a weekend of pure talent, pure energy and pure vibes from Friday 29 July, with a line-up of emerging artists, celebrating youth culture. Showcasing the last 120 years of unforgettable experiences at Hackney Empire and beyond, expect to see live music performances from local talent with Alter Ego, SNE and Girls of Grime! Bring up the energy with dance crews from Lit Youth and Boy Blue, while DJ Scully takes us to his wavelength with an evening of London’s best underground talent. Join BAC Beatbox Academy for a music workshop or play Generation Gameshow Cabaret to be crowned the best generation in an interactive and high-energy quiz from Elevate East. Listen to the sing-off to end all sing-offs at Choirs Collide, where Hackney Borough Youth Choir, Haringey Vox and Hackney Empire Community Choir engage in an intergenerational closing ceremony.
The award-winning Hofesh Shechter Company join River Stage for the first time with a jam-packed schedule of dance, film and workshops from Friday 5 August. Kicking off with an exclusive look at the company’s latest work, Contemporary Dance 2.0, a rare screening of Clowns, alongside performances from Yeji Kim, Liam Francis, DJ Golden Ratio, DanceEast and more. Get involved in the musical myriad with a variety of family-friendly workshops, from percussion to clubbing, in a weekend that promises to be an explosive celebration of all things dance.
Finally, the National Theatre will take over the River Stage festival, kicking off on Friday 12 August with cult songstress Diana Chorley as she brings legendary 1980s nightclub, The Flick, to the South Bank – with some extra special guests taking over the stage, including Le Gâteau Chocolat and Suzi Ruffell. The musical acts continue with cool choir Some Voices, swing band Shirt Tail Stompers and continent-crossing pop artist, Elaha Soroor. Sit back in a deck chair for a River Stage first as NT Live screen the rollicking new comedy, Jack Absolute Flies Again, live from the Olivier theatre, and learn hit moves from the show in a special workshop with choreographer Lizzi Gee. Award-winning author Sam Sedgman hosts a reading of his bestselling children’s series Adventures on Trains; the thrilling ZooNation Youth Company host a social hip-hop dance jam; Jenny Hayes invites you to lunchtime yoga, and the Old Dirty Brasstards open up the dance floor one last time with exhilarating party jams and indie classics.
Featuring authentic food from the streets of London delivered straight to the vibrant South Bank, KERB will be serving up a delectable selection of flavours this summer. Open from mid-June, KERB at The Understudy features delicious tacos from Dos Mas and six-spice level Southern fried sandos from Lucky’s Hot Chicken. More options are available on the riverside outside the National Theatre from a range of KERB’s street food traders, more details available here.
The River Stage festival will run from Friday 15 July to Sunday 14 August. All events are free. For more details and the full programme, please visit the website.
