Greenwich Dance & Arts Trust Productions presents Summer in the Park

Following the success of last year’s festival, Greenwich Dance and Arts Trust Productions are thrilled to announce the return of Summer in the Park, a series of free performances and dance experiences presented in parks and outdoor spaces across Greenwich and Bexley throughout the summer.

This year’s programme will include Summer Sessions held in Cygnet Square (near Southmere Park), the new home of Greenwich Dance in Thamesmead, and Greenwich Park. These early evening events will take place on Fridays and feature performances from established artists alongside a showcase of community dance from local groups.

In Cygnet Square the Summer Sessions will help to activate and animate this vibrant new public space at the heart of Peabody’s major regeneration project in Thamesmead. While Summer Sessions in Greenwich Park will bring new audiences to London’s oldest Royal Park with high quality cultural activity.

Summer in the Park will also see Greenwich Dance and Arts Trust Productions join forces with the local community to help devise and deliver Park Picnics, a series of day-long local community events in the Royal Borough of Greenwich’s lesser known but beautiful parks, Maryon Park, Gallions Park and Queenscroft Park. Through Creator Groups, residents in Greenwich and Bexley will be invited to say what performances are programmed at each Picnic and come up with creative activities that truly reflect their communities. For more information on how to join one of the Creators Groups visit https://greenwichdance.org.uk/whats-on/filter/festivals/

Completing the programme for Summer in the Park will be activities and performances as part of Thamesmead Festival, a community-powered day of family friendly activities presented at Southmere Park.

This year’s Summer in the Park activity has been made possible with thanks to substantial funding from The National Lottery Community Fund – the largest funder of community activity in the UK – and with support from Peabody, the Royal Borough of Greenwich and The Royal Parks.

The events line-up will be announced following the first set of Creators Group meeting at the end of May.

Councillor Adel Khaireh, Cabinet Member for Equality, Culture and Communities, said: “We’re thrilled to have Greenwich Dance on board for this year’s Royal Greenwich Festivals. Their exciting programme of events will bring parks and open spaces across the borough to life, with the help of local dance groups. We believe that arts and culture should reflect the communities we live in, and Greenwich Dance are putting the power in your hands. They’re inviting communities to have their say on what performances and activities they’d like to see. I can’t wait to see this truly collaborative project animate our parks this summer!”