Did you know 30 colourful giraffes will be scattered throughout Croydon later in 2023?
The creativity of Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists is celebrated at Croydon's Liberty Festival this September.
The three-day event — taking place 1-3 September 2023 in and around Fairfield Halls — sees a packed line-up of comedy, theatre, dance, music and more — and is part of Croydon's year in the spotlight as London Borough of Culture. It's curated by Drunken Chorus, a Croydon-based charity which supports and promotes contemporary arts that are inclusive and accessible for all.
Among highlights are:
- Liberty Live Comedy Night, featuring comedians including Francesca Martinez, Aaron Simmonds and Variety D. (1 Sept)
- NOISE - a 'mind-altering' performance from Nua Dance, in which dancers express the challenges they face in a society bound by ableism and heteronormativity. (1 Sept)
- Inclusive HIIT workout from The Body Coach App trainers India and Leroy. (2 Sept)
- Journey to a Better World - an interactive encounter in which Touretteshero invites people to explore what a post-pandemic world should look like. (2-3 Sept)
- Liberty Garden Party - a family-friendly celebration in The Queen's Gardens on Sat and Sun, with various performances from theatre and dance companies — including Def Motion, Moxie Brawl, Savvy Theatre Company, Club Soda, Hijinx and SLiDE — plus food on both days from Dialogue Cafe, the first British Sign Language (BSL) cafe in the UK (2-3 Sept)
- Liberty Festival Finale, featuring a performance from 'contemporary dance geeks' Candoco Dance, a poetic exploration of what it means to grow up a girl from Ellen Renton, and music from The Inner Vision Orchestra, led by Indian maestro Baluji Shrivastav. (3 Sept)
Inclusivity is key to the festival, and all events throughout have a relaxed approach to movement and noise, and allowing people to come, go and tic as they please during performances.
Liberty Festival, Croydon, 1-3 September 2023, most events are free but require pre-booking
