Highlights include:
- Wild Rumpus, who produce immersive worlds that take audiences into magical and enchanting places, will transform the Boulevard into an inspiring space celebrating the natural world and will encourage participants to nurture a sustainable green future.
- In Ghost Caribou from Thingumajig Theatre, giant illuminated mystical creatures that are ‘part caribou, part spirit’ will roam with a wild herdsperson. As they gather a crowd, they’ll perform other-worldly ceremonies and tell stories of impossible migrations filled with music, song, and shadow puppets. (Expected timings: noon-12.30pm and 4pm-4.30pm.)
- Hip Hop maypole mavericks Folk Dance Remixed will perform their genre-breaking mix of maypole, clogging, breakdance and more. (Expected timings: 11am-11.30am and 3pm-3.30pm, each followed with a creative workshop.)
- Make your own suncatcher or flower crown, design your own tarot card and taste the delights of locally foraged Solst-iced Drinks in the wellness workshop tent – timings for individual sessions tbc. Also visit the tent for face painting.
- Three MK based artists will take over Porte Cocheres for improvised music and dance in response to midsummer. In ‘Natural Magic’ by Thomas D Gray and Effie McGuire Ward, musicians and dancers will respond to sunlight and shadow with three performances over the day. ‘Midsummer Mischief’ by Rost Productions and No Outcome Art takes inspiration from the city’s tradition of welcoming new settlers, as well as being home to magpies – who have an important magical tradition in folklore. Large magpie puppets will roam the Festival site, gathering materials for their Porte Cochere nest. Working with natural dyes and harnessing the power of the sun, artist Ciara Callaghan will transform a Porte Cochere with LITHA – an immersive artwork which tracks the movement of the sun as it filters through large-scale cutwork embroidery.
- Fire Leap With Me’ by Carole Keating includes a very special ‘fire-jumping’ ceremony (traditionally those who make it across will enjoy good health throughout the year) where the artist’s ‘fire pit’ features paper logs and hand-painted flames built in collaboration with the audience.
- The Music Tent will host a fantastic programme throughout the day with local folk duo Drywood performing a selection of traditional folksongs, as well as a new song specially written for the Festival. In the afternoon, SOULstice will offer a platform for local musicians to share their summer inspired tunes. As the sun slowly begins to set, experimental music network Outlands will take over with an electronic and acoustic set from 6pm, showcasing an incredible line-up of contemporary folk music with Stick in the Wheel, Benedict Drew and Arianne Churchman. A spoken word performance by Luke Pendrell/Ludd Puca completes the evening performance programme.
