Every year the Hammersmith & Fulham ArtsFest gets bigger and better.
With nine days of stimulating events, variety is the key. Family fun, dynamic music, youth culture, thought-provoking workshops, orchestral performances, drama, studio art, guided walks, comedy… the range is wider than ever in the five years the festival has been running.
The climax to the annual platform for the borough’s artistic flair is Unity Day in Ravenscourt Park on the afternoon of Sunday 10 June, where H&F’s rainbow of diversity is celebrated.
“It will showcase the amazing talent among our diverse community,” promised ArtsFest chair Petrea Owens.
One innovation this year is a focus on local disabled artists, Joy 2018, focusing particularly on people who have not previously been involved in the arts.
Many of the events are free to attend. Here are a few highlights:
Saturday 2 June
Art at Amnesty (until 9 June). Free art show in the Amnesty bookshop, 181 King Street, W6 9JT. 10am-6pm daily
Floor 2 exhibition. Free pop-up art show takes over the second floor of the Riverside Building, Winslow Road, W6 9WA, including photography and performance events, and a residents’ art show featuring the work of people in sheltered housing
Storytelling by the Cat & Hutch company, 11am and 2pm, Bush Theatre, 7 Uxbridge Road, W12 8LJ
Ravi Shankar memorial festival (and Sunday 3 June), 6-8pm, The Bhavan, 4 Castletown Road, W14 9HE
Sunday 3 June
Arts & Entertainment Afternoon, Town Hall, King Street, W6 9LE, 2-5pm. Music, dance, circus
Monday 4 June
GospelbeacH rock n roll at Bush Hall, 310 Uxbridge Road, W12 7LJ. 7.30pm
Tuesday 5 June
Mezzo-soprano Leilani Barratt sings at Ravencourt Baptist Church, 7 Ravenscourt Road, W6 0UH. 7.30pm
Wednesday 6 June
Adult Education showcase of performing arts at the Macbeth Centre, Macbeth Street, W6 9JJ. 6-8pm
Youth theatre workshop, Chickenshed, Wharf Rooms, Imperial Road, SW6 2EP. 6.30-8pm
Jonas Stout’s art show, Big Red Bus, Shepherds Bush Green, W12 8PH. Noon-5pm
Thursday 7 June
Free art exhibition including paintings and embroidery by community artists at the Elgin Close resource centre, 3 Elgin Close, W12 9NH. 6-8pm
Bottled Up, Lyric Studio, King Street, W6 0QL. Bittersweet drama about a fight for independence. 7pm
Saturday 9 June
Celtic Caribbean Crossings, Irish Cultural Centre, Blacks Road, W6 9DT. Keith Waithe plays alongside Jacqueline Hynes. 7.30pm
Sunday 10 June
H&F Council’s Unity Day, Ravenscourt Park, noon-6.30pm
The celebration of H&F diversity features a unity tree, for displaying stories in words and pictures, music, dance, a circus and workshops.
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