Article by Dave Yard, Head of Marketing at the Gulbenkian:
A firm favourite and must-do event of the summer for families, the bOing! International Family Festival 2021 took place at the University of Kent campus on 28 & 29 August.
Over 5,000 people attended the festival across the weekend, with families enjoying free outdoor performances on stages across the campus, including dancing, juggling, puppetry and a global music stage.
bOing!’s Artistic Director, David Sefton said:
“We were delighted to have bOing! back again this year and the response from our audiences was fantastic! This was a smaller bOing! than usual, with some international artists unable to travel, and social distancing in place but despite this it felt like bOing! was back, the atmosphere was brilliant and everyone had a great time.
Plans are already well under way for bOing! 2022, which will be bigger and more exciting than ever.”
Kent Staff Family Day
Over 800 Kent staff members and their families attended the Kent Staff Family Day at bOing! Festival on Friday 27 August 2021, reuniting with colleagues and family while experiencing live performance, music and fun for all, on our beautiful Canterbury Campus. Organised a big thank you from the University to all Kent Staff in recognition for the tremendous effort put in by all throughout the year, the Kent Staff Family Day at bOing! was FREE for Kent Staff and their families to attend.
Reaction from audiences on Twitter included:
@boingfestival Oh Boing!, how we’ve missed you. Such an incredible, fun filled day with so many new things to experience and enjoy. Really the very best family festival bar none. So glad to be back, thank you so much!
The boing festival was, as always, fantastic. What a treat to see live performance again. We love the Gulbenkian; embracing exciting new shows and supporting a range of performing arts. Thank you @boingfestival 2021….you make us very happy.
The festival programme had a range of new work, including Jasmin Vardimon Company’s Alice (VR), an incredible virtual reality experience inspired by Alice in Wonderland and Frozen Light’s Night Out In Nature a fantastic new sensory outdoor piece work for young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities.
Alongside that bOing! presented Half A String’s The Puppet Van: The Lost Colour, Gandini Juggling’s Smashed2, Upswing’s Catch Me, a Global Sounds Music Stage programmed by Music for Change and GTown Talents and much more in a packed weekend of performance and activities.
bOing! is run by Gulbenkian Arts Centre at the University of Kent and is part of a programme of theatre and film for families that runs all year-round.
Further information about the festival is available online at www.boingfestival.com or call Gulbenkian Tickets & Information on 01227 769075.