Arts and music celebration all the way for Battle Festival's programme

Battle Festival returns for its fifth year with live events and activities across all artforms, throughout October and beyond.
Battle Festival 2018 SUS-180823-161246001Battle Festival 2018 SUS-180823-161246001
Battle Festival 2018 SUS-180823-161246001

Launching the event this year is Festival Fiesta, an afternoon of fun for the whole community, with an array of colourful events on the Abbey Green, as well as inside Battle Abbey itself, including theatre inside a life-size whale, family activities galore, dancers, live music and plenty of surprises (September 30).

The Giufa Project, co-produced by Battle Festival, Glyndebourne, Opera Circus and Crisis Classroom, will see young people present new artwork and performances on the theme of migration as part of an exciting international collaboration spanning music, theatre, dance, parkour (free running), visual art, and film (October 20).

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Other highlights in theatre, dance, and spoken word include Jonny Fluffypunk’s autobiographical show about finding yourself, fusing elements of theatre, storytelling, comedy and stand-up (6 October); Leviathan, a new show by James Wilton Dance based on the novel Moby Dick, complete with an electro rock soundtrack (19 October); Macbeth, Shakespeare’s famous tragedy of greed and political ambition from Bowler Crab Productions (21 October); Opera Anywhere perform an inspired, accessible adaptation of one of Mozart’s most famous operas The Magic Flute delving into the other-worldliness which glamorous Hollywood brought to post-Blitz London (7 October); Unkindest Cut by Sadhana Dance interweaves dance, performance, text and film around an intricate light installation exploring some of the complex issues around young people and mental health (26-31 October).

Musical highlights include the Ceilidh Liberation Front, who will be liberating the dancefloor with their energetic and immersive performance, suitable for the whole family (12 October); and Becky Mills (who has worked with the likes of Pentangle and Fairport Convention) joined by Ruth Angell on violin (23 October).

Battle Festival 2018 features world-class classical concerts, with a whole weekend dedicated to classical music for all, including mesmerising Russian pianist Roman Kosyakov, winner of the 2018 Hastings International Piano Concerto Competition (26 October); Battle Festival’s resident ensemble the internationally renowned Primrose Piano Quartet joined by violinist Jonathan Stone and cellist Richard Lester (27 October); and Around the World in 80 Minutes! a special family concert on the theme of travel with the Primrose Piano Quartet and guests from Hastings Philharmonic Orchestra (28 October).

The family fun continues with Fizzlebert Stump, a new adaptation of AF Harrold’s much-loved book for children aged 6-10, featuring puppetry, magic and a lion with flase teeth (21 October); Blast Science return to Battle Festival with The Extravaganza Show, a whistlestop tour through the world of science, with plenty of audience participation and live experiments (23 October); Oskar’s Amazing Adventure is the heartwarming tale of a puppy’s search for friendship in the wilderness of the Alps (6 October).

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In addition to the main programme there are a host of fringe events taking place at venues around Battle.

Tickets are available online or from Rother Books, 59-60 Battle High Street, and The Crafty Norman, 9 Battle High Street, or call 01424 319982 (12-6pm). For the latest news and updates follow Battle Festival on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For details of all events pick up a brochure available now locally, or visit battlefestival.co.uk.

Related topics: