Ensemble Festival Returns to the Royal Docks

This weekend, Royal Victoria Dock trades its usual waterside calm for two days of circus, dance, and street theatre as Ensemble Festival returns this summer, transforming Royal Victoria into a vibrant outdoor stage for contemporary performance.

Best of all, it’s a free festival bringing together bold, joyful and thought-provoking circus, dance and theatre, running Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 July, 12:00-20:00, at Royal Victoria Dock, Western Gateway.

What’s on the bill

The programme leans heavily into physical performance and spectacle:

• Fragments of Us by Talawa Theatre, in collaboration with FUBUNATION and Sonia Hughes, is a dance and spoken word performance exploring ancestry, belonging and shared experiences.
• Garbh by Shyam Dattani and Mira Salat offers a contemporary reimagining of the Gujarati folk dance Garba.
• ElevateHer by Daughters of the Wire is an all-female wire walking performance celebrating female camaraderie and empowerment.
• The Torch by Nigel “Kobby” Taylor blends Afrobeat, hip-hop, rap and storytelling into a gig-theatre experience.
• Stick and Stone by Ferdinando + Bernstein is a physical comedy performance using striking visual imagery.
• Balance by Brainfools is a circus-theatre show combining found objects and acrobatics, reflecting on pub culture.
• Captain C-Man by Cormac Mohally brings a juggling and circus spectacle for all ages.

There’s also an international flavour this year: Certain Blacks are showcasing performances from some of the most exciting artists from Catalonia, including a piece exploring water scarcity through poetic storytelling, a clown suspended over a public street, and a street circus duet inspired by mythology.

Most acts perform twice a day, so there’s flexibility to catch favourites at different points across the afternoon and evening — though timings are subject to change, so it’s worth checking the full programme before heading down.

While you’re there

Round out the day with the IFS Cloud Cable Car for panoramic river views, or grab a bite at ZeroSette, an Italian spot near the ExCeL.

Tickets aren’t required — it’s a free, all-ages event, easy to drop into for an hour or stay for the whole afternoon.

Full details and programme: royaldocks.london/whats-on/ensemble-festival-2026-2