Magic, coastlines and community – at the 2025 Norfolk & Norwich Festival

A blurred image of an auditorium with the words: "Something for the weekend? Films, books, music and events. EAB's look at the arts and culture

Starting on 9 May, the Norfolk & Norwich Festival returns with a fresh and ambitious programme that reaffirms its status as one of England’s most historic and eclectic arts festivals. First held in 1772, the Festival continues to blend cutting-edge local creativity with globally recognised talent, spanning performance, music, visual art, literature, and more.

Magic and Mystery / Coastlines / Create and Share

At the heart of the 2025 programme are these three intertwining themes, each showcasing how art can transform public spaces, challenge perspectives and build community.

The Magic and Mystery strand conjures an extraordinary blend of illusion, storytelling and movement. Jo Bannon’s The Dirty Work (14–15 May) is a powerful solo piece exploring the intersection of magic and visual impairment, transforming personal experience into theatrical wonder. Renowned company Gandini Juggling brings Heka (13–14 May), a spellbinding fusion of juggling, contemporary choreography and magical ritual. Meanwhile, magician Vincent Gambini offers a uniquely intimate experience with Close-Up (16, 17, 23, 24 May) – a one-to-one cafe performance where sleight-of-hand meets the surrealism of cinema.

From the magical to the maritime, the Coastlines theme turns attention to Britain’s rich coastal identity. River of Hope (9–25 May) channels the creativity of 500 young people, exploring the Norfolk waterways through an immersive installation. In Cromer, Sea Like a Mirror (15–26 May) marks the 200th anniversary of the RNLI with a national partnership led by Cement Fields, featuring Ivan Morison’s new artwork White Horses, which anchors the project with a powerful visual reflection on our relationship with the sea.

Children on a beach, dressed as monsters — Monsters. Image by Norfolk and Norwich Festival. Used with permission

Community and collaboration take centre stage in Create and Share, celebrating the Festival’s year-round work with young people and local voices. Bootworks Theatre Co. teams up with a group of nine-year-olds for The Norwich Nine (11 May), a project shaped by a generation born the year of the Brexit referendum. Also drawing from young imaginations, MONSTERS (21 May) is a post-apocalyptic fairy tale film created by and starring East Anglian children. And Rebel Resistors Radio Club (21–24 May), devised by Action Hero, hands analogue radios to local girls to broadcast “manifestos for the future”.

Welcome Weekend (9–11 May)

Central Norwich will go live with free outdoor performances. Things begin on Friday with a bold reimagining of the marching band by Speak Percussion and local musicians, followed by High Voltage, which will see more than 150 electric guitarists come together for an epic sonic celebration. The weekend continues with premiere performances from the UK’s leading outdoor arts groups, creating a city-wide spectacle of movement and sound.

Dancing troup with a band — High Voltage. Image by Norfolk and Norwich Festival. Used with permission

Music

For fans of music, this year’s line-up is rich and diverse. Grammy-winner Arooj Aftab (9 May) and celebrated DJ Gilles Peterson (10 May) will perform in the atmospheric setting of Norwich Cathedral. 2024 Mercury Prize nominee corto.alto (22 May) brings genre-defying sounds, while the Chaos String Quartet (14 May) returns with their award-winning finesse. Celebrating 30 years of innovation, Apartment House (19 May) presents Music in Four Parts, featuring a new composition by Cassandra Miller. The Festival also features residencies from mezzo soprano Lottie Betts-Dean and genre-spanning guitarist Sean Shibe, highlighting their extraordinary musical ranges across a trio of performances each.

Circus

Circus fans can head to the iconic Adnams Spiegeltent, where Upswing’s Showdown (14–25 May) promises “circus thrills and cheeky humour” in a high-stakes, game show-style contest. “The Adnams Spiegeltent now has a fierce reputation for staging awe-inspiring circus,” the organisers note – and 2025 looks to build on that tradition.

Theatre

Theatre also plays a vital role in the programme. Songs of the Bulbul (20–21 May), presented with Norwich Theatre, is a stunning dance piece by Aakash Odedra with music by Rushil Ranjan. Show Pony (16–17 May), from Still Hungry and Bryony Kimmings, offers a bold new take on women in circus performance.

Literature

The City of Literature Weekend (23–25 May), presented with the National Centre for Writing, rounds out the Festival with a thought-provoking programme of talks and readings from writers such as Hattie Crisell, Val McDermid, Seán Hewitt, Nicola Streeten, and many more.

Daniel Brine, Artistic Director & Chief Executive of the festival, says: “It feels like a really vibrant and dynamic mix with a number of international voices peppering the music programme; exciting new performance pieces; some fascinating literary conversations; and a strong sense of community with a number of events that showcase our participation work.”

With its bold vision and inclusive spirit, the Norfolk & Norwich Festival 2025 is set to inspire, challenge and entertain. Full listings and tickets are available at nnfestival.org.uk.

This article was adapted from a press release by the Norwich & Norfolk Festival by ChatGPT, and edited by EAB.