Norfolk & Norwich Festival: Discover the vibrant lineup from 9th to 25th May 2025
Magic and mystery performances
Experience Jo Bannon’s “The Dirty Work” on 14th and 15th May, blending magic with visual impairment narratives.
Gandini Juggling’s “Heka” on 13th and 14th May combines juggling with contemporary choreography.
Magician Vincent Gambini presents “Close-Up” on 16th, 17th, 23rd, and 24th May, offering intimate performances that meld sleight-of-hand with cinematic elements.
Celebrating coastlines
“River of Hope” runs from 9th to 25th May, showcasing works from around 500 young participants, exploring Norfolk’s rivers flowing into the North Sea.
In Cromer, “Sea Like a Mirror” from 15th to 26th May commemorates the RNLI’s 200th anniversary, featuring Ivan Morison’s “White Horses” artwork.
Community-driven creations
“The Norwich Nine” on 11th May brings together Bootworks Theatre Co. and nine-year-old children born during the UK’s EU referendum year.
“MONSTERS” on 21st May is a short film portraying a post-apocalyptic fairy tale, created by and starring children from East Anglia.
From 21st to 24th May, “Rebel Resistors Radio Club” sees Action Hero collaborating with a group of girls to broadcast their future manifestos via analogue radios.
Adnams Spiegeltent highlights
Upswing’s “Showdown” runs from 14th to 25th May, mixing circus thrills with humour as six contestants compete in a game show-style performance.
Welcome Norfolk & Norwich Festival weekend festivities
The festival kicks off with the Welcome Weekend from 9th to 11th May, offering free outdoor performances across Norwich.
On Friday, Speak Percussion and local musicians reimagine the concept of a marching band, heralding the festival’s opening.
“High Voltage” brings together over 150 electric guitarists from across the region as a massive garage band.
On Saturday and Sunday, leading UK outdoor arts companies will premiere performances throughout the streets.
Musical highlights at Norfolk & Norwich Festival
Grammy award-winner Arooj Aftab performs on 9th May at Norwich Cathedral.
DJ and record collector Gilles Peterson takes the stage on 10th May.
2024 Mercury Prize nominee Liam Shortall, known as corto.alto, performs on 22nd May.
The Chaos String Quartet returns on 14th May.
Apartment House celebrates their 30th anniversary with “Music in Four Parts” on 19th May, featuring a new work by Cassandra Miller.
Mezzo-soprano Lottie Betts-Dean showcases her vocal range across three shows, while guitarist Sean Shibe presents a varied programme on lute, acoustic, and electric guitars.
Theatre collaborations
In partnership with Norwich Theatre, the Norwich Theatre Playhouse hosts “Songs of the Bulbul” on 20th and 21st May, a
“Show Pony” on 16th and 17th May offers a fresh perspective on women in circus, presented by Still Hungry and Bryony Kimmings.
City of Literature weekend
From 23rd to 25th May, the City of Literature Weekend returns with events and talks featuring writers like Hattie Crisell, Nicola Dinan, Erica Hesketh, Seán Hewitt, Val McDermid, Noreen Masud, and Nicola Streeten.
Join the festivities Norfolk & Norwich Festival
For the full programme and ticket bookings, visit the Norfolk & Norwich Festival website.
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