Festivals & Events

"an engaging young company from the Indian subcontinent" - Guardian

Dangalnama is a moving account of the sectarian rioting that has occurred in India since the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984.

The Lift Millipede is a creature with many legs and many eyes. It is continuously listening, watching and recording.

A unique exhibition that tells the story of how the four-storey mobile venue and hub of the Lift Festival was built.

This is your chance to meet The Lift's architects AOC and be guided around by the people who helped design and create the building.

An extraordinary line-up of A-list music talent will open Lift Festival 2008, bringing together gospel, classical and urban music styles including new pieces commissioned for the night.

Enjoy an evening in Stratford Park with an outdoor screening of the award-winning Bombay, a Bollywood classic based on a true story.

Deaf artist and Graeae Artistic Director Jenny Sealey, has created a series of still images and a short film that demonstrate the international diversity of sign language.

East-on-Screen will showcase the work of local and young filmmakers in East London.

Turning rubbish into art!

How The Lift Was Built is an exhibition which tells the story of how the four-storey mobile venue and hub of the Lift Festival was built.  

Start the day with something different at a series of refreshing and unusual morning workshops presented by Southbank Centre's Resident Artists and other local practitioners.

With parallels to Cuba's Buena Vista Social Club comes the inspirational music from Australia's black protest movement.

Take part in the creation of a new performance, Uusma, with leading British Indian Dance Company ANGIKA.

Celebrate the last day of Lift Festival 2008 Stratford with an afternoon of recycled family Entertainment.

The Trashcatchers Ball will bring Lift Festival 2008 Stratford to a spectacular close with a celebration of recycling.

East End company Olympic Spirits and Foodstuffs Ltd has harvested fruits and berries from the Lower Lea Valley for generations.

A 'choose your own adventure' story with a twist.

Speak is an insightful new performance about our sense of belonging and exclusion.

What does it means to be a young citizen in Newham, East London, in England, in the world?

East London's very own fully accessible club night, run by people with learning disabilities, comes to The Lift.

A multilingual karaoke event celebrating the 146 different languages spoken in Newham!

This is your chance to get crafty with waste materials, left-overs or whatever takes your fancy.

Three new comedies inspired by stories from three of Newham's vibrant communities.

Part of the Hotel Medea cycle, Zero Hour Market reimagines the mythical meeting of Jason and Medea as an epic Brazilian folk tale.

Come and find out what is happening in your area.

This extraordinary production from South Africa's Magnet Theatre tells the story of a young girl who loses her family and home.

This discussion event explores the psychological impact of war, trauma and displacement on young people.

This compelling film documentary tells of the devastation and inhumanity brought upon Indigenous people in every aspect of their daily lives.

MAU's Lemi Ponifasio in conversation with Lou Bennett from The Black Arm Band about their work and lives.

Artistic Director of MAU

Lemi Ponifasio returns to Southbank Centre (Requiem, 2007) with his new work Tempest II.

On the day the World Trade Center crumbled, 438 Afghan refugees were in a small boat off the coast of Australia, fleeing the persecution of the Taliban regime.

In Pacific culture Tã is how we act and manipulate things in the world. Tã is the making of art and our interactions with the natural environment.

Deaf artist and Graeae Artistic Director Jenny Sealey has created a series of still images and a short film that demonstrates the international diversity of sign language.

Future Shorts is proud to bring you a vibrant and eclectic programme of short films and music videos from all over the world.

Seducing the audience with comic, character-driven sequences, Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg fuses dance and theatre to create a powerful and memorable performance.

What does 'progress' mean in the 21st century? Despite 'globalisation' the world remains unequal and old economic models seem outdated.

The Long Table on Performing Rights is an invitation to explore the role of performance in communicating human rights issues.

This multimedia dance-theatre event offers a rare glimpse into the real experience of living in China today.

Join us for the last day of Lift Festival 2008 with a leisurely (or not so leisurely) cycle ride and walk - a day to remember!

For the closing night party at The Lift, City Mine(d) curates a chain of masterclasses using the expertise of Lift Festival 2008 audiences and artists.

Hannah Hurtzig, director of Mobile Academy in Berlin, presents her reflections on public conversation events.

Join us inside The Lift for a sit down lunch and short screen programme. 

Equip yourself for a conversation with a difference. 

The Saison Poetry Library at Southbank Centre has chosen a poem for each day of the Lift Festival.

All roads lead to…Shoreditch Park as the Festival races out of the blocks in true sporting and party style!

With a high-impact programme of events to exercise body and soul, The Lift reappears at Shoreditch Park as part of the Shoreditch Festival 16 - 24 August, and plays host to an inspired mix of free and ticketed events, developed with local groups.

Expect a pulsating electro-hip-hop soundtrack as The Lift explodes in an insane spectacle.

An exhibition that tells the storey of how the four-storey mobile venue and hub of Lift Festival 2008 was built.

A competition of words and wits where YOU choose the winner.

Back by popular demand, last year’s Hoxton Square hit Ragroof Theatre returns with a brand new show.

This year, the Leicester Comedy Festival turned 15. And like most teenagers, it’s  breaking loose and ready to throw a party.

Local young dancers join British Indian dance company ANGIKA in a unique collaboration that blends classical Bharata Natyam with urban dance.

VIP Club Wireless is a very special event being held over two nights exclusively for Shoreditch’s young people.

The Hood in the Wood is a captivating piece of storytelling where Gary Lagden brings to life all the characters, from the terrifying wolf to the dotty grandma.

On the historic day that host borough Hackney officially welcomes the Olympics to London, the Shoreditch Festival and London Borough of Hackney presents Hackney Handover — a spectacular celebration for everyone to enjoy.

Come out to play at the Hackney Handover moment!

This is my gallery...

LIFT Molten Festival opens in spectacular style with an astonishing performance of Lacher de Violons
(Freeing the Violins) by pioneering French street theatre company Transe Express.

theBROADWAY, Barking's premiere performing arts venue, will be presenting a series of workshops and an incredible indoor garden as part of LIFT Molten Festival

Get the insider’s perspective on Barking’s history from those who know it best.  Local residents will collaborate with UK live artist Peter Reder and director Corrine Micallef to create a series of unique tours combining historical facts with personal stories.

Leave the kids at home and enjoy a good old fashioned knees up with this contemporary twist on the traditional East End Music Hall.

Based on true stories, Trading Stories will show you a side of Barking & Dagenham you never knew existed!

You can insure your car, your luggage and your pets against loss: why not your dignity? The Bush Theatre's new audience inspired show will have you laughing, crying and cringing with recognition.  

Let’s have a topical debate – with a difference! Policy Slam is a new style of decision-making that aims to get a consensul outcome.

The Kangaroo Krew show you how to party with this fully accessible multimedia club night.

Get the insider’s perspective on Barking’s history from those who know it best. Local residents will collaborate with UK live artist Peter Reder and director Corrine Micallef to create a series of unique tours combining historical facts with personal stories.

Revist the 80s with a themed pub quiz to get you in the mood for the outdoor screening of Fame!

An outdoor screening of this fantastic film with the chance to dance-a-long to your favourite bits!

Bring your sunscreen, a brolly, and all your friends and family for a weekend of fun and frolics.

Get ready to show off your table tennis skills as Search Party challenge you to a marathon game of table tennis!

An afternoon of urban music featuring a brand new set of music exploring the rapidly changing East London landscape.

Continental Drifts present a sterling line up music from around the world.

Proving age is just a number the members of Vintage Voices, will knock your socks off with an original repetoire of songs fusing the old favourites with the latest chart toppers.

This is karaoke with a difference – you are singing with a live 50-piece orchestra!