The fifth annual Battle Festival – throughout October and beyond – launches this weekend with a FREE carnival for the whole community. Festival Fiestaon Sunday (September 30, 12-4pm), welcomes an array of colourful live events and family activities to the Abbey Green, as well as inside Battle Abbey itself (from 2pm).
Circo Rum Ba Ba are bringing a life-size inflatable whale to Abbey Green and inviting audiences inside for new show “Drastic Plastic”, a tale of sea creatures and their battle to survive in an ocean full of rubbish, featuring exquisite puppets, comedy and music. The audience help to save the Turtle and the Whale from a deluge of plastic! Performances at 12pm, 12:30pm, 1pm, 2:30pm, 3pm, and 3:30pm.
Taking place in front of Battle Abbey, Bootworks Theatre’s “We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat” is an interactive show about small town communities and the movie Jaws, exploring notions of belonging. Performances at 12:15pm, 12:45pm, 1:45pm, 2:15pm, and 3:30pm.
There will also be live music, and plenty of surprises in store including high energy dance from Tomboogie and a special surprise from local Rock Choirs.
In case of bad weather all the activities on Abbey Green will be moved to Battle Memorial Hall so the fun can continue.
Following hot on the heels of Festival Fiesta are a plethora of events across all art forms, including a unique adaptation of Mozart’s famous opera The Magic Flute by Opera Anywhere, set in 1950s London, and celebrating the birth of teen culture (October 7); an evening of dancing, live music and total audience participation, from London’s most vibrant ceilidh band Ceilidh Liberation Front (October 12); and with Leviathan, multi-award winning choreographer James Wilton re-imagines Herman Melville’s novel, Moby Dick in a show featuring a cast of 6, and a blend of athletic dance, martial arts, capoeira and partner-work (October 19).
For the youngest audiences, Oskar’s Amazing Adventure is a heart-warming play for children aged 2-8 using a rich mix of storytelling, physical theatre, puppetry, music and song to tell the tale of a puppy’s search for friendship in the wilderness of the Alps (October 6).
There is also plenty to look forward to later in October including a whole weekend dedicated to world-class classical music for all (October 26 – 28), including a recital from mesmerising Russian pianist Roman Kosyakov; the renowned Primrose Piano Quartet joined by violinist Jonathan Stone and cellist Richard Lester; and Around the World in 80 Minutes! a special family concert featuring music on the theme of travel plus family activities.
Tickets are on sale now. For full details visit battlefestival.co.uk.
Source: Battle Festival
Image Credits: Battle Festival .