Refract returns for its eighth edition with a packed six-day programme of performance, music, dance, comedy, family activities and immersive events, taking place both indoors and outdoors across Waterside Arts and Waterside Plaza.
This year’s festival brings together a bold line-up of local and international talent, with something for all ages. Many events are free to attend, with street theatre, circus, puppetry and live music transforming the town centre.
Festival Highlights Include:
• Arun Ghosh opens the festival on Tue 22 July with a full-band set in Waterside’s Cabaret Club. Expect a powerful mix of South Asian music, jazz and ambient grooves.
• Ben Hart, master illusionist and Britain’s Got Talent star, returns with intimate shows of magic and mind games on Wed 23 and Thu 24 July.
• Tape Face, the global wordless comedy phenomenon, brings his unique blend of mime, clowning and physical theatre to the stage on the same dates.
• Double bill tickets are available for Ben Hart and Tape Face.
• Bay Bryan takes over the Cabaret Club on Fri 25 July for an intimate night of genre-blurring folk-pop and storytelling.
• DJs Living Room Dance Club and Atalaya join the celebrations with eclectic sets spanning soul, disco and Latin club beats.
Outdoor Family Performances:
• Hug, an aerial dance and theatre piece exploring touch and connection, runs on Thu 24 and Fri 25 July.
• Pocket Loop by Belgian company Stoptoi features juggling, hoops and live drumming, also on Thu 24 and Fri 25.
• Everywhere’s A Beach!, a joyful circus show on a spinning beach parasol, runs Fri 25 and Sat 26 July.
• Autin Dance Theatre’s Out of the Deep Blue, featuring a giant sea puppet, returns with breathtaking puppetry and storytelling.
• Batala Manchester bring Afro-Brazilian samba reggae to Sale on Sat 26 July.
Refract Bandstand Performances:
• Sat 26 July: The Thingumajigs with their riotous fusion of funk, klezmer and carnival sounds.
• Sun 27 July: Rodina (Aoife Hearty) performs soulful jazz and pop.
Closing Events on Sun 27 July:
• CAGED, a striking dance performance built around a giant birdcage.
• Global Grooves, closing the festival with carnival drumming, dance and feel-good energy.
