Autumn Festival 2025

"Welcome to The AUTUMN FESTIVAL of Norfolk in this our 15^th Anniversary Year 2025.

At the heart of the festival as always, you will find our Signature Projects, each one initiated and developed under the creative umbrella of the festival, remaining free to access for all our participants thanks to the support given annually from those in partnership with us.

This season we have continued to focus our energies on projects that have developed communities within projects, including Total Ensemble’s Dance Into The Fall now being hosted at the UEA Drama Studio: bringing together over 50 multi-generational dancers; a truly important and beautifully crafted event. The African Choir of Norfolk celebrates its 5th anniversary with us with an unmissable performance where their sisterhood will lift you out of your seats with unstoppable joy. The Norfolk Actors Company boasts a cast of over 20 performers this year, staging the glorious coming of age play by E.M. Forster, A Room with a View. And, The Norfolk Arts Awards has now fully matured with finalists and winners being chosen by public voting across all 14 awards.

Literally hundreds of people are taking part and being celebrated across festival projects and we are super proud of all this happening at festival time and more often year ‘round.

Whatever part of Norfolk you come from we’re bound to be celebrating it. This is what makes us turn these autumn leaves over each year - our unending passion to welcome and highlight those within the arts is always met by those who are creating authentic and original art. The festival supplies many so virtual and physical platforms on which to thrive, develop and connect. We believe our 15th anniversary programme illustrates all this perfectly and we look forward to sharing it with you.

As part of our commitment to bringing world-class voices to Norfolk, we’re thrilled to welcome guest speakers of the highest calibre this year, including Michael Morpurgo, Reeta Chakrabarti, Tony Robinson and Evan Davis. These celebrated figures offer audiences the chance to engage directly with leading voices in literature, journalism, broadcasting and the arts, further enriching the cultural roots of our local festival.

Be sure to visit our website, sign up for our newsletter for updates and engage with us on our social media platforms.

Have fun with it all.

Best Wishes,

Stash and Peter

STASH KIRKBRIDE, Artistic Director

PETER BARROW, Executive Director