Greenwich+Docklands International Festival (GDIF) London’s leading and longest established free festival of outdoor performing arts returns to the Royal Borough of Greenwich, Newham and Thamesmead from Friday 21 August to Sunday 6 September.
Building on the success of GDIF’s 30th anniversary in 2025,the award-winning annual festival will be presenting work by over 25 companies from London, the UK and across the world in a free programme of outdoor theatre, circus, dance and art installations inspired by the theme ‘WE MOVE’.
Highlights of Greenwich+Docklands International Festival 2026 announced today include:
360 – from a towering circular stage in Woolwich town centre, a ravey new large-scale dance ritual by trailblazing French choreographer Mehdi Kerkouche opens GDIF 2026 on 21 August.
Commissioned for GDIF 2026 include London premieres of The Aunties: The House of Masks by Oluwatosin Omotosho, Man Down, created by Deaf choreographer Chris Fonseca and The Torch, an Afro-beat gig-theatre experience by Kobby Taylor.
GDIF’s two, much-loved ‘festivals within the festival’ return. Greenwich Fair takes over Greenwich Park with a weekend of family-friendly theatrical fun while Dancing City returns to Stratford, East Bank and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for a day of alfresco dance.
GDIF’s opening event on Friday 21 August at 7pmwill be 360,a new large-scale dance work, conceived as an energizing ritual, by trailblazing French choreographer Mehdi Kerkouche (CCN of Creteil and Val de Marne). General Gordon Square in Woolwich will be transformed into a dance arena where propulsive movement, immersive set design and electronic music collide in an expression of the aspirations and challenges of a generation on the edge of change.
GDIF will present the UK premiere of Efectos Especiales (Special Effects) at Greenwich Peninsula on 29 & 30 August. This theatrical spectacle created by Argentinian filmmaker Alejo Moguillansky and choreographer Luciana Acuña invites audiences to enter a live film set where cinema and dance unfold in real time. The action begins as a truck rumbles past with music blaring. A dancer sprints, leaps and stumbles: and then the elements erupt; thunder rolls, wind lashes and snow falls in this fully immersive transformation of the everyday into a cinematic tale of perseverance.
GDIF will present the London premieres of two new commissions in Woolwich on Bank Holiday Monday 31 August. The Aunties: The House of Masks by Oluwatosin Omotosho, is a fearless and fabulous new dance-theatre show celebrating West African ‘Aunties’ through Hip Hop and Afro Dance. This new production explores individual resilience, cultural identity, and the unspoken truths hiding behind the smiles at family gatherings. The Torch, an Afrobeat gig theatre experience inspired by the music and legacy of the late Ebo Taylor createdby his grandson Kobby Taylor. Afrobeat, hip-hop and rap meet live storytelling and DJ-led sound. Onstage, the cast slip between band and character, creating a theatrical experience that pulses with energy and asks what it means to carry the torch — and when to break from it.
Dancing City, GDIF’s annual programme of free outdoor dance is back on Saturday 5 September offering audiences an opportunity to experience a day of free alfresco dance across a host of amazing outdoor spaces across Stratford, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and its cultural and education quarter, East Bank. Presenting an eclectic variety of dance styles, expect exceptional homegrown and international talent in this one-day celebration of dance.
Programme highlights include Benched by Denmark’s Uppercut Dance Theater presented in partnership with Sadler’s Wells.With spectacular choreography incorporating breakdance, capoeira and contemporary moves, five male dancers transform three benches into an arena for cooperation and conflict; and Fuse Theatre’s Man Down (Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford) led by Deaf choreographer Chris Fonseca. This explosive three-hander lifts the lid on toxic masculinity in a newly commissioned fusion of visual vernacular, beatboxing and hip hop. Driven by live music two men push, perform and unravel under the weight of expectation. Strength becomes spectacle. Vulnerability becomes risk.
Co-created with Greenwich’s community dance groups (In)Visible Dancing forms the spectacular mass movement finale of GDIF2026, created by Luca Silvestrini’s Woolwich based dance company, Protein. The energy of a flashmob ripples through the streets in a celebration of community, filled with energy, connection and joy.
To book visit: https://festival.org/gdif-2026/. Header image: The Aunties by Emmanuel Cole.