The National Theatre will host the closing weekend of its free outdoor festival River Stage, from 26 to 28 July, by inviting everyone to dive into the diverse delights of our South Bank venue.
London’s largest free outdoor arts festival, River Stage, returns to the National Theatre for the eighth year this summer, over four weekends from 5 – 28 July 2024 with an exciting programme of live music, theatre, dance and more, curated by some of the UK’s leading arts organisations. The South Bank will come to life once again with performances alongside a delicious selection of independent food and drink from street food suppliers KERB.
This year’s River Stage partners are The Glory (5-7 July), Greenwich+Docklands International Festival (12-14 July) and Rambert (19-21 July). The National Theatre (26-28 July) will host the closing weekend of River Stage.
On Friday 26 July, Diane Chorley returns with her legendary 80s club The Flick for her only show of 2024 bringing the very best of character comedy, infectious music, queer cabaret and some special guests. Diane will be joined by an array of notable icons including musical legends Flo and Joan, Australian comedian Reuben Kaye, Catherine Cohen best known for her hit Netflix comedy special THE TWIST…? SHE’S GORGEOUS, comedy extraordinaire Sikisa and many more for an unmissable night of laughs and joy!
Ease into your Saturday on 27 July with fun for the whole family hosted by National Theatre’s Anoushka Chakrapani. Enjoy a puppet making workshop with Little Angel Theatre and catch the National Theatre’s Wigs, Hair and Make Up specialists in action for a free face painting session. BAC Beatbox Academy bring their beats, vibes and high energy performance to the South Bank and Boy Blue will be back for a Hip Hop performance you won’t forget. Everyone is welcome to have a look behind the scenes with our free backstage tours giving audiences a glimpse of the magic of the NT. Hackney Colliery Band returns to the National Theatre to play music from across their 15-year career full of brass, drums and electronics. For one day only, James Graham’s Olivier Award-winning hit show, NT Live: Dear England, will be screened for free at 7.30pm.
On Sunday 28 July, NT’s former artist in residence and Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year, Curtis Holder, will lead a portrait workshop where musicians Fenella Humphreys, Kasia Ziminska and Cara Berridge become his muses. Join theatre maker and choreographer Dan Canham for an inclusive Public Acts Odyssey Workshop where he will teach the dance from the spectacular Gods of Olympus scene. Some Voices choir are returning to the River Stage to bring you summer smash hits in glorious harmony. Chisara Agor will bring the festival to a close with a boundary-pushing musical performance exploring themes of visibility, magic and solidarity.
Alongside The Understudy and the riverside bar, KERB will be serving up a range of London’s most exciting street food. Baba Dhaba, Mexclub, Chicken Bandits, Oh My Dog and Poke Nom bring an array of delectable flavours whilst Hackney Gelato serve delicious, refreshing ice-cream. KERB will be partnering with Two Tribes on the bar for some of the finest cold beer, and Sen Noods, Meltdown Cheeseburgers and Sireli will be serving up mouth-watering delicacies at The Understudy
The River Stage festival will run from 5-28 July. All events are free.
