Greenwich+Docklands International Festival (GDIF) will bring international dance, movement and outdoor performance to London this August and September, with its 2026 programme featuring large-scale dance works, immersive performances and free alfresco events across Greenwich, Newham and Thamesmead.
Running from Friday 21 August to Sunday 6 September, the award-winning festival returns following its 30th anniversary celebrations in 2025. This year’s programme explores the theme WE MOVE, bringing together more than 25 companies from around the world, including artists from Argentina, France, Catalonia, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain, for a free celebration of outdoor theatre, circus, dance and installation.
Dance takes a central role in GDIF 2026, with the return of its dedicated dance strand Dancing City alongside movement-driven works presented throughout the wider festival programme. Audiences can experience performances that explore community, identity, resilience and connection through contemporary dance, hip hop, traditional movement practices and immersive choreography.
GDIF will open on Friday 21 August with 360, a new large-scale dance work by French choreographer Mehdi Kerkouche (CCN of Créteil and Val-de-Marne). Created as an energising communal ritual, the work will transform Woolwich’s General Gordon Square into a circular dance arena, combining propulsive choreography, immersive design and electronic music.
The festival’s annual celebration of outdoor dance, Dancing City, returns on Saturday 5 September at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and its cultural and education quarter, East Bank. The free programme will feature a diverse range of UK and international artists, including performances that blend contemporary dance with cultural traditions, street styles and physical theatre.
Highlights include Garbh by Shyam Dattani, a celebration of community and remembrance inspired by the Gujarati folk dance form Garba, combining swirling movement, live rhythm and an evocative sandscape. East London artists Chandenie Gobardhan and Shawn Aimey present As, Was, Is, an electrifying fusion of South Asian and street dance styles exploring struggle, perseverance, connection and empathy.
Catalonia’s Vero Cendoya brings Cicatrius, an inclusive ceremonial dance work inspired by ancient traditions, while Grensgeval / Aifoon’s Kokkon invites audiences into a poetic outdoor adventure where movement, performance and audience participation collide.
Previously announced works include Denmark’s Uppercut Dance Theater’s Benched, presented in partnership with Sadler’s Wells, where five male dancers combine breakdance, capoeira and contemporary movement around three benches; and Fuse Theatre’s Man Down, led by Deaf choreographer Chris Fonseca, which explores toxic masculinity through visual vernacular, beatboxing and hip hop.
Dance also features across GDIF’s wider programme. Argentine artists Alejo Moguillansky and Luciana Acuña bring Efectos Especiales (Special Effects) to Greenwich Peninsula on 29 and 30 August, combining cinema, theatre and choreography in an immersive live film set where dance unfolds in real time.
The festival’s Greenwich Fair programme (22–23 August) will also feature BUG by The Cholmondeleys, a playful street dance work by acclaimed choreographer Lea Anderson featuring an oversized insect and a buzzing electronic soundtrack. Other movement-based highlights include ElevateHer by Daughters of the Wire, a large-scale outdoor circus work celebrating sisterhood, trust and courage.
Additional dance-theatre premieres include The Aunties: The House of Masks by Oluwatosin Omotosho, a celebration of West African “Aunties” through Hip Hop and Afro Dance, exploring cultural identity and resilience.
GDIF will close with (In)Visible Dancing, a mass movement finale created by Luca Silvestrini’s Woolwich-based company Protein in collaboration with Greenwich community dance groups. The work will transform the streets into a celebration of collective movement, connection and joy.
Alongside performances, GDIF will present a range of access provisions across the festival, including British Sign Language interpreted performances, touch tours and live audio descriptions.
Greenwich+Docklands International Festival 2026 runs from Friday 21 August to Sunday 6 September. All performances are free.
For information about the GDIF 2026 programme, please visit www.festival.org/gdif-2026.
