The eighth edition of the biennial IF: Milton Keynes International Festival returns to Milton Keynes from 18 to 27 July.
- Two world premieres and four UK premieres
- A pyrotechnic drumming promenade show on the first weekend
- Over 2,000 white paper doves in an art-for-peace installation
- Aerial circus, song and percussion on a 40-metre-high sculpture
- Rising star performance poet and Milton Keynes resident Maureen Onwunali with a new commission
- Luke Jerram’s giant space sculpture
- Gandini Juggling’s first-ever work for children
- Comedy, cabaret and live music in The Stables Spiegeltent
- And lots more, much of it FREE
Friday 18 to Sunday 27 July
The eighth edition of the biennial IF: Milton Keynes International Festival returns to Milton Keynes from 18 to 27 July with an international programme of large-scale outdoor spectaculars, installations, performance, theatre, poetry, dance, circus, live music, family-friendly shows, comedy and cabaret. All in their different ways continue the Festival’s mission to engage audiences in surprising ways and add layers of meaning and memory to this new city. In the context of a world in turmoil, the Festival celebrates the power of artists to inspire, provoke and comfort.
Festival events appear in diverse locations across Milton Keynes. In central MK they include centre:mk, headline partner of the Festival, Fred Roche Gardens, Xscape, Midsummer Place, Unity Place, Festival Square and the Church of Christ the Cornerstone. Grade-II listed Campbell Park hosts Festival Central with its ever-popular Spiegeltent and the Acoustic Stage and, further into the 114-acre landscape, are events at Campbell Park Copse and MK Rose. Then, just outside the city centre, there are events located in Wolverton and on the Open University campus at Walton Hall.
With its ornate wood construction, stained glass, velvet drapes and mirrors, The Stables Spiegeltent makes an atmospheric venue for the Festival’s live music, comedy and cabaret shows. Its ticketed programme includes Lou Sanders, Lucy Spraggan, The Noise Next Door, The Selecter, Roachford, The Demon Barbers, Le Vent du Nord, Peat & Diesel, Yuck Circus, a Cabaret of Ideas, family-friendly shows and the Ceilidh Liberation Front with the Festival wrap party.
The Festival presents two world premieres from the UK and four UK Premieres from Germany, Spain, Catalonia and France: They are: Klub Girko’s Human Time Tree Time; Deabru Beltzak’s Symfeuny; Pagrav Dance Company’s One Sky; Kamchàtka’s Fugit; Maureen Onwunali’s Utopia in Verse; and Transe Express’ DNA, Vertical Odyssey.
Both weekends of the Festival are full of FREE pop-up shows and experiences for the whole family, including a new show from Gandini Juggling, the company’s first-ever work for children.
LARGE-SCALE OUTDOOR SPECTACULARS
On the Festival’s opening night Deabru Beltzak’s pyrotechnic and drumming promenade performance Symfeuny makes its way through the city centre from Xscape, culminating in a spectacular on-stage finale in Campbell Park. Deabru Beltzak were part of the City’s iconic 2015 Rugby World Cup celebrations, Clash of Drums, produced by the Festival. Friday 18 July (Spain) UK PREMIERE
Four years in the making, Transe Express’ DNA, Vertical Odyssey beside The Point is a show in the sky which began as an engineering project. The action - a vertical choreography of climbing, aerial dance, circus, precision drumming and the singing and playing of an original score - takes place on a 40-metre-high sculpture under a 200-ton crane. The performers can feel the structure, a work of art in its own right, moving both with the wind and with their own and each other’s movements. Friday 25 July & Saturday 26 July (France) UK PREMIERE
INSTALLATIONS
Michael Pendry’s art-for-peace multi-media installation Les Colombes brings over 2,000 white paper doves to Middleton Hall in centre:mk, the Festival’s headline partner. The site-responsive installation has been on a world-wide journey since its creation, exploring the bonds that tie us together and the delicate balance between individual freedom and collective belonging. In Milton Keynes people will be invited both to make doves to contribute to the installation and to hang doves in the windows of shops, offices, community centres and homes to create a second, City-wide, installation. Les Colombes will also be shown in New York this year. Friday 18 July to Sunday 27 July (Germany)
Luke Jerram’s third momentous planetary sculpture Mars features NASA imagery of the Martian surface presented with a special soundscape including recordings from the US missions to Mars. It will be sited in two locations, The Open University campus and the Church of Christ The Cornerstone. The Open University will also collaborate with the Festival on a wrap-around programme that will give access to the space research laboratories and academics. Jerram’s Gaia and Museum of the Moon were highlights of the 2021 Festival. Friday 18 July to Sunday 20 July The Open University & Monday 21 July to Sunday 27 July, Church of Christ The Cornerstone (UK)
Gijs van Bon’s Nyx sees a photoluminescent powder writing robot moving through the streets of Milton Keynes to reveal words from the new poetry commission by Maureen Onwunali. Van Bon’s sand writer SKRYF featured in the Festival in 2018 when he worked with poet Jackie Kay. Thursday 24 July MK Rose & Friday 25 July Festival Square by centre:mk (Netherlands / UK)
Mark Anderson’s Warning Notes in Fred Roche Gardens is a captivating sound and light installation-cum-performance. Striking instruments give voice to the social and ecological alarm rippling across our planet. Anderson was one of the artists who took part in For the Birds seen at the 2018 Festival. Thursday 24 July – Saturday 26 July (UK)
Architects of Air’s monumental walk-in sculpture Terceradix is sited at Festival Central in Campbell Park. Its maze-like structure features domes and winding paths where organic shapes and diverse architectural influences merge in a breathtaking display of design and engineering. Large translucent ‘light catchers’ sit atop the domes capturing more light and creating a variety of hues inside the space which have never been seen in a luminarium before. This will be the third luminarium by Architects of Air featured by the Festival following Mirazozo in 2010 and Pentalum in 2014. Thursday 24 July to Sunday 27 July (UK)
Tania El Khoury is a US-based British artist and academic of Lebanese origin. Her interactive sound installation, Memory of Birds, was created in collaboration with a trauma therapist. Lying in a scented pod hidden in the trees of Campbell Park, audiences will hear a soundscape featuring migrating birds, exploring political violence and the impact of war on contested land, the environment and wildlife. Friday 25 to Sunday 27 July. (UK / Lebanon)
THEATRE/PERFORMANCE
Through a fusion of fashion, choreography, live music and theatre, Zwermers’ Pan~//Catwalk challenges the urge to label or judge others based on how they look revealing instead a mind-opening celebration of fluidity and self-expression. Following a series of workshops run by the company, there will also be a specially-curated version of the show by the local community showcasing their own wardrobes and identities at Unity Place. Pan~//Catwalk Friday 18 July Queens Court, centre:mk & Community Performances Saturday 19 July Unity Place (Netherlands)
Osadía’s hair art performance Whose Hair Dares in Midsummer Place and Campbell Park is another exploration of self-expression and identity in this year’s Festival. Audience members are challenged to sit in Osadía’s grand barber chairs and be transformed into living sculptures with original and provocative hair and make-up. Saturday 19 July Midsummer Place & Sunday 20 July Campbell Park (Catalonia)
Kamchàtka’s Alter at the 2023 Festival was named one of The Observer’s top ten theatre events of the year. This time, the company presents Fugit, an immersive daytime journey through Wolverton in the north west of the city where the audience put themselves in the hands of strangers. Fugit pays homage to those who have had the courage to abandon the unnecessary, leave the familiar behind, and move on into the unknown. Thursday 24 July to Saturday 26 July (Catalonia)
UK PREMIERE
POETRY
Poet Maureen Onwunali has been commissioned by centre:mk in collaboration with the Festival to write a new work. The poem has its world premiere performance at Utopia in Verse, a poetry jam in Festival Central, Campbell Park. Curated by Onwunali and bringing together guest artists including live musicians and another young local poet, Utopia in Verse speaks to radical hope, collective liberation and the audacity to imagine the world other than it is. A Dublin-born Nigerian who grew up and lives in Milton Keynes, 22-year-old Onwunali is a two-time national slam champion and resident artist at The Roundhouse. Thursday 24 July (UK) WORLD PREMIERE
DANCE
Pagrav Dance Company’s One Sky brings the spirit of India’s Kite Festivals to the Bulbfield at Campbell Park. Inspired by the rooftops where kites are flown, six dancers engage with each other and the audience in a dynamic interplay of movement and puppeteering. Blending neo-classical Indian dance with modern aesthetics, One Sky explores the fusion of heritage and contemporary expression – and celebrates the beauty of shared experience. The largest outdoor work in the company’s history, One Sky is choreographed by artistic director Urja Desai Thakore, co-commissioned by the Festival and Sadler’s Wells and marks Pagrav’s 20th anniversary. Saturday 19 July (UK) WORLD PREMIERE
SAY’s the album: skool edition at MK Rose in Campbell Park combines fast-paced and slick contemporary dance routines to exciting new music, including tracks by UK beatbox champion MC Zani and alternative pop artist Naomi Banks. Co-produced by The Place, the album: skool edition is an interactive dance created for kids and their families and choreographed by Sarah Golding and Yukiko Masui. Saturday 26 & Sunday 27 July
CIRCUS
The elite acrobats of YUCK Circus champion the female voice with skills and attitude. This self-titled show in The Stables Spiegeltent, Campbell Park combines high-flying acrobatics, absurd confessions, groovy dancing and feisty comedy. Winners of the Fringe World Martin Sims Award, Best Circus at both Melbourne and Sydney Fringe and Best Emerging Artist at Adelaide Fringe. Friday 18 July & Saturday 19 July (Australia)
Taking place in the woodlands of Campbell Park, Klub Girko’s Human Time Tree Time explores the precarious and delicate balance of the relationship between humans and nature. With the climate crisis at tipping point, two performers create a heart-stopping acrobatic performance where they balance tree trunks, branches, twigs and themselves - natural and human elements in constant equilibrium. Friday 18 July to Sunday 20 July (Germany) UK PREMIERE
NoFit State’s Bamboo is a high-impact circus production in Campbell Park and Queen’s Court in centre:mk. Using only bamboo and human bodies, it reveals the fragility and beauty of our interconnected life on this planet – whilst celebrating the sense of jeopardy that lies at the heart of great circus. Friday 18 July & Saturday 19 July Campbell Park & Sunday 20 July Queen’s Court, centre:mk (UK)
The rollerskating whizzes of 15ft6 present Les Patineurs, a gasp-inducing and hilarious battle in a tiny arena. They combine their impressive circus skills with the lyrical Skaters’ Waltz. Saturday 19 July Festival Square, centre:mk & Sunday 20 July Festival Central, Campbell Park (Belgium)
You Too Can Tutu at MK Rose is Gandini Juggling’s first-ever children’s show, blending the grace of ballet with the playful precision of juggling. Colourful pointe shoes and hyper-coloured balls dance together to form mesmerising patterns and shapes in a joyful spectacle of movement and rhythm. Saturday 26 & Sunday 27 July (UK)
Joli Vyann’s beautiful duet Drop Me If You Dare at MK Rose is a beguiling mix of dance and partner acrobatics. It’s about the connection between two people, exploring the elements of strength and submission, weakness and control within a relationship. Saturday 26 July & Sunday 27 July (UK)
LIVE MUSIC
The Spiegeltent hosts seven live music events:
The Demon Barbers are renowned for their electrifying fusion of traditional British folk music and high-energy dance and winners of the BBC Radio 2 Folk Award for Best Live Act. Saturday 19 July (UK)
Le Vent du Nord, one of the leading names in Québecois folk music, perform traditionally-based original songs on a glorious mix of fiddle, guitar, accordion, piano, bass and hurdy-gurdy with four-part vocal harmonies. Tuesday 22 July (Canada)
Legendary 2-Tone pioneers The Selecter, led by the incomparable Pauline Black OBE, bring their pure ska brilliance to the Festival with classics including On My Radio and Three Minute Hero. Wednesday 23 July (UK)
Raw, energetic and straight from the heart of the Western Isles, Peat & Diesel deliver a night of unforgettable tunes, stories and unadulterated craic. Thursday 24 July, (UK)
Singer-songwriter Lucy Spraggan’s blend of folk, indie-pop and acoustic sound paired with emotional lyrics have brought her a worldwide audience. This concert features new songs as well as some of her favourite tracks from the past 15 years. Friday 25 July (UK)
Rock and soul artist Roachford has released 10 studio albums and several greatest hits collections, been sought after as a songwriter by the likes of Michael Jackson, Joss Stone and Chaka Khan, and toured consistently. Saturday 26 July (UK)
The Ceilidh Liberation Front - some of the UK’s finest folk musicians and charismatic callers - combine music, dance and theatrics in their very own brand of ceilidh music, perfect for the Festival Wrap party. Sunday 27 July (UK)
In a special concert underneath Luke Jerram’s Mars in the Church of Christ The Cornerstone, Ensemble Augelletti, the BBC New Generation Baroque Ensemble, plays cosmos-inspired music by Corelli, Schmelzer and Uccellini. Friday 25 July (UK)
And, throughout the Festival, in the relaxed atmosphere of the Acoustic Stage at Festival Central The Stables Sessions put a spotlight on new sounds, emerging talent and unsigned bands. On Saturday 19 July, Midsummer Place hosts three artists playing cool summer music in The Stables Midsummer Sessions. 18 – 27 July (UK)
FAMILY-FRIENDLY AND FREE
Both weekends of the Festival feature free, pop-up shows and events for all the family:
On the first weekend, Noisy Noise Noise and Serving Sounds by Working Boys Club (UK); Bamboo by NoFit State Circus (UK); Xics del Xurrac by Tombs Creatius (Catalonia); Pan~//Catwalk by Zwermers (Netherlands); Les Patineurs by 15ft6 (Belgium), One Sky by Pagrav Dance (UK) and Whose Hair Dares by Osadia (Catalonia). Friday 18 July to Sunday 20 July
On the second weekend, The Lost Colour and Space Chickens by Half A String (UK); Drop Me If You Dare by Joli Vyann (UK); You Too Can Tutu by Gandini Juggling (UK); The album: skool edition by SAY (UK); and Wire Attire by Sam Goodburn (UK). Saturday 26 July to Sunday 27 July
FAMILY-FRIENDLY AND TICKETED
Family-friendly ticketed shows in the Spiegeltent include:
Monski Mouse’s Baby Disco Dance Hall. Sunday 20 July (Australia)
Scoot Theatre’s Quentin Blake’s Mrs Armitage on Wheels. Thursday 24 July (UK)
The Rubbish Shakespeare Company’s Rubbish Romeo & Juliet. Saturday 26 July (UK)
Shlomo’s Beatbox Adventure for Kids. Sunday 27 July (UK)
COMEDY/CABARET
The Spiegeltent hosts first-class comedy and cabaret:
The Noise Next Door are arguably the UK’s quickest, wittiest improvisers. 12-time sell-out legends of the Edinburgh Fringe, they have brought their always-funny, no gimmicks no tricks, shows to audiences on BBC One, ITV1 and Comedy Central as well as to comedy clubs and theatres all over the world. Friday 18 July (UK)
Much-loved comedian and Taskmaster champion Lou Sanders comes to the Spiegeltent with an extended headline set. Lou has toured her live shows to rave reviews and packed houses across the world. Lou will be joined by two other comedians on the night. Sunday 20 July (UK)
A Night with La Voix plus support from Tori Scott. Fresh from her appearance on RuPaul’sDrag Race UK, La Voix lights up the Spiegeltent with an intimate and glamour-filled evening of powerhouse vocals and high comedy. Monday 21 July, (UK)
TALKS, PRESENTATIONS AND WORKSHOPS
On the eve of the Festival, there is a panel discussion on The Symbolism of the Dove and the Meaning of Peace in centre:mk. An invited panel, including Festival artists Michael Pendry and Maureen Onwunali, explores the presence of symbolic art – specifically the dove – in secular, everyday spaces. Thursday 17 July
At Unlocking the Secrets of Space a panel of space experts will talk about the future of space exploration and the groundbreaking space research happening at The Open University in Milton Keynes. Friday 18 July
There is also a chance for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the world-leading laboratories used by the Open University to explore space at their campus HQ. Friday 18 July and Saturday 19 July
The Cabaret of Ideas is a live speed-learning session featuring a line-up of fascinating thought leaders, experts and mavericks from, or with a strong connection to, Milton Keynes. After coffee and pastries, the audience lucky-dip from 15 candidates and pick four 20-minute conversations to have over the course of the event as people share their passions, thoughts, insights and revelations. Saturday 26 July
These events are part of an extensive programme of workshops, talks and tours which explore different themes of the Festival programme. Also on offer are dove making and peace haiku workshops; interactive songwriting, kite-making, circus skills and more.
