A free outdoor show featuring freerunners La Fabrique Royale exploring Norwich’s skyscape will launch this year’s Norfolk and Norwich Festival.
The full 2020 programme was announced last night, with more than 100 events over 17 days from May 8 on, with venues in Norwich, Great Yarmouth, and King’s Lynn.
The Parkour-based show Zéro Degré leads the free programme, which also includes a sculpture trail by Lawrence Edwards at the University of East Anglia, interactive arts installation Arrivals + Departures at The Forum in Norwich city centre, and Powers of X – a outdoor VR projection – in King’s Lynn.
The festival’s popular weekend Garden Party in Chapelfield Gardens also makes a return, with six world premiere shows from a range of international perfomers.
Music highlights include an ambitious staging of Mahler’s Symphony No 3 by Norwich Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, Camille O’Sullivan performing the work of Nick Cave at a new pop-up venue, and I Fagiolini marking the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo Da Vinci with a concert combining music and art projections.
Neon Moon’s Electric Rodeo Circus opens the line-up at the Adnams Spiegeltent, and there are return festival visits from acrobatic acts Casus Circus and Gravity and Other Myths.
The City of Literature Weekend returns featuring Ali Smith, Olivia Laing, Max Porter, A C Grayling, Preti Taneja, Owen Sheers, and Syaka Murata. This year’s Harriet Martineau Lecture will be from Ella P. Wakatama, literary critic and Editor-at-large for Cannongate Fiction.
Festival artistic director Daniel Brine said: “For 2020 we’ve put together a programme reflecting, celebrating and exploring what the Festival is to our audiences, artists and communities in the city of Norwich and county of Norfolk.
“This year, at the start of a trio of Festivals as we celebrate our 250th anniversary in 2022 we have begun to focus on the local and international themes of time, community and environment – looking both forwards and back.
“Across this year’s festival we have over 100 shows and events morning, noon and night at iconic Norwich buildings, pop-up spaces, outdoor stages, urban streets and remote countryside.
“We have a new stage, a Festival hub for food and drink, world premieres, international headliners, and work by and for local people.”
Tickets are on sale to the public from 10am on Thursday, February 27, via 01603 531800, the festival website, or in person at The Guildhall in Norwich (open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays).
