UnShut Festival 2020

Kristy Stott, Theatre Editor
UnShut Festival
Image courtesy of UnShut Festival.

2 — 4 July 2020 Entrance is free — Visit now

Experience UnShut Festival online, on the streets or by post this July.

Taking place over 3 days, UnShut Festival 2020 brings experimental and radical performance work. And while we’re upset that ordinary festival fun is out of bounds, we think that UnShut Festival offers a brilliant alternative, and offers a creative response to the situation we find ourselves in right now.

Working with live artists to explore the world we’re living in, and the ways that we connect, socialise and interact, the festival aims to investigate, challenge and test the boundaries of contemporary performance.

An online celebration of experimental work, there will be 12 performances. Work will include building a theatre from scratch, a world-wide street clean, a revolution by postcard and an intimate performance in Animal Crossing.

Bringing durational performance, intimate one-to-one performances on Zoom, audio performance, a series of family-friendly tiny installations hidden across Sheffield city centre and a special online Q and A where you can join the artists in discussion, we think UnShut offers connection, creativity and community at such a challenging time for artists and audiences.

While you’re here…be sure to check out our full (and frequently updated) guide to the best online things to do in Manchester and the North.

2 — 4 July 2020 Entrance is free Visit now

Where to go near UnShut Festival 2020

iStock
Leeds
Shop
Waterstones Leeds

Standing proudly on the busy shopping hub of Albion Street, Waterstones Leeds is a bookshop that also hosts a variety of events

Manchester Factory international Festival - People enjoying Festival Square in the city centre
Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Factory Square

Factory Square is a huge beer garden, on the banks of the River Irwell, with top-quality drinks and street food selections.

Manchester
Restaurant
Fenix

Modern Greek Mediterranean cuisine from the team behind Tattu.

Flat Iron Leeds
Leeds
Restaurant
Flat Iron Leeds

Relaxed restaurant in Leeds serving impressively high-quality steaks at an affordable price point.

What's on: Theatre

Until
ExhibitionsManchester
Sweet Dreams at Aviva Studios

Multi-sensory and surreal, Sweet Dreams is a brand-new storytelling experience that takes audiences on a journey through food, appetite and desire.

from £7.50
Open Air Theatre at Grosvenor Park
Until
FestivalsChester
Open Air Theatre at Grosvenor Park

Expect another fabulous season of open-air theatre when The Gangs of New York, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and The Importance of Being Earnest play Grosvenor Park this summer.

from £6.75

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Rebecca Watson author photo
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In between working out, then working through, your holiday reading pile this summer, find inspiration for your next bookish acquisitions from our selection of live events and exhibitions.