Stunning portraits of Bamako’s iron workers by Fototala King Massassy

Striking recycled materials art exhibition by a Ghanaian artist

Find out about the Festival line up at our open day for all ages. Meet the…

Visually stunning story of two orphans journeying across Europe to freedom

Artist Nwando Ebizie creates an altered reality inspired by Afrofuturism

Upwards of 5,000 children will be taking part in this annual opening parade

An afternoon of the city’s best young musical talent

Dive into different worlds of music, and create your own sonic experience.

Maya Angelou’s legacy honoured in compelling live poetry and song

Malian musician Rokia Traoré shares her highly personal sixth album, Né So

Fun writing workshop with Miriam Halahmy that starts with tricky questions

The resurrection of well-loved and rarer music from the Grande Siècle.

The real-life fairy tale of a Welsh barmaid who bred a champion racehorse

Immersive talk from the artist behind Wet Sounds

An epic party with The Skints, Moses Boyd Exodus, Hollie Cook, DJs + more

Prominent creatives discuss how the Windrush affects their approach to work

A panel celebrating the contribution of translation to UK reading

Immersive, genre-blending, live classical music and dance event.

Sigrid Rausing & Ian Jack discuss the legacy and future of Granta magazine

Ben Okri reads from his new novel and discusses his adventures as a writer

Julien Faraut’s experimental film documents tennis legend John McEnroe

Soumik Datta and City of London Sinfonia with music for Indian film

Malcolm Martineau accompanies soprano Miah Persson and tenor Jeremy Ovenden

The story of an unfinished fiddle comes to life in Sam Sweeny’s live show

Readings from contributors to the working-class anthology Common People

Claire Wickes and Tomos Xerri play a mixed classical programme

The Marmen string quartet performs Haydn and Debussy

Journey through an interactive imaginary world

Jacob Sam-La Rose presents some of his now-accomplished poet mentees

Kneehigh’s hilarious, shocking and modern take on the Beggar’s Opera.

Writer Jon Ronson explores the curious world of porn in this new show

Free afternoon of inventive performances for all ages

A new work about motherhood-childhood brought to life by 100 voices

Reading featuring authors with writing textured by echoes of a distant home

World-renowned virtuosos from different continents create uplifting sounds

West African film exploring family, magic, sexuality and abandonment.

Geek Girl author, Holly Smale, introduces her new series, The Valentines

Acclaimed pianist performs Bach's demanding Partitas suite.

Zawe and Candice discuss the joys and perils of playing multiple roles

Puppeteer and storyteller Jum Faruq shares stories, music and crafts

Featuring works by Sibelius and Berlioz, as well as music from Greek Dances

S.K. Perry discusses her lyrical début, this year’s City Reads book

Intimate new show by Andy Hamilton where you even get to ask him questions!

Guitarist Michael Matthews performs music from Italy and Africa.

Grammy-winning entertainer Chilly Gonzales shares his love of the piano

An inclusive interdisciplinary performance making workshop

Riotously funny take on use of able-bodied actors to play ‘disabled’ roles

Baritone Marcus Farnsworth & pianist Libby Burgess perform a song selection