So, you’ve read our previews of Cabaret, Circus Big Top, Poetry&Words, The Pavement, The Astrolabe Theatre, The Glebe, The Gateway and the festival’s Walkabout acts and you think that’s all Theatre & Circus has to offer? Think again.
There’s a host of other stages and areas, including Outside Circus Stage, the Juggling Tent, Crooner’s Corner, Glebeland, Bella’s Field, A Little More Sensation, Atchin Tan, Rimski’s Yard and Mavericks.
Each has its own unique draw: you can learn to juggle or take a laughter yoga class in the juggling tent or take in a talk about Traveller culture at Atchin Tan. After dark, the Poetry&Words tent becomes the late-night Mavericks where the weekends’ performers try their riskiest material.
While we recommend perusing the full Theatre & Circus line-up, here’s a taste of what’s on offer across the rest of the Theatre & Circus fields.
The Best of the Rest of Theatre & Circus
Kwabana Lindsay – River Walk in the Circus Field from Thursday to Saturday from 21:00 to 21:30. Also on The Pavement.
Master rope-walker, Kwabana Lindsay undertakes a site-specific performance in the Circus Field each evening from Thursday to Saturday as he walks on a tightrope across the river that flows under Bella’s Bridge which is dedicated to the memory of Arabella Churchill who helped found the festival and had led the Theatre & Circus fields since the early ’80s.
Amazing Camera Obscura in Bella’s Field from Thursday to Sunday from 12:00 to 16:00
The camera obscura, which recreates an outdoor image through a pinhole, reached the peak of its popularity during the Victorian era with the number of working camera obscura diminishing since then. Luckily for Glastonbury-goers, Amazing Camera Obscura bring their working in-the-room-style camera obscura to Bella’s Field where you can try out the optical device that dates back to the 5th century.
The T.U.R.D.I.S Portaloo Escape Room in Bella’s Field from Thursday to Sunday from 11:00 to 19:00
It’s every festival-goer’s nightmare; getting stuck in a festival toilet. There are rumours of unlucky punters getting stuck in the portaloos at other festivals, and while Glastonbury Festival’s main toilet offering is the famous long-drops, that fear of what lies below still carries weight. Come along to the T.U.R.D.I.S Portaloo Escape Room in Bella’s Field for a very appropriate escape room, set inside a portaloo.
Thomas McCarthy at Atchin Tan on Wednesday from 15:30 to 16:15
Thomas McCarthy returns to Glastonbury and Atchin Tan following his performances last year. The Traveller Awareness Campaign area brings together the myriad of communities, with music, storytelling and talks with Romany, Irish Traveller, Traveller and Roma culture. Singing in a sean-nós style, the Irish Traveller is part of a long line of traditional singers in Offaly. Last year, we caught a single song by McCarthy – Green Blooms – at the end of a talk in Atchin Tan. Needless to say, we’ll be back for a full set this year.
Raves R Us on Outside Circus Stage on Friday from 00:54 to 01:39, Saturday from 00:59 to 01:44 and Sunday from 00:57 to 01:42
The immersive show from Liverpool combines clubbing with theatre as it recreates a real-life rave in a closed-down branch of Toys R Us, with festival-goers becoming the members of the rave. A perfect way to keep the party going post-headliners.
Charlotte May in Crooner’s Corner on Wednesday from 14:00 to 14:45, Thursday from 12:15 to 13:00, Friday from 13:55 to 14:40 and 18:00 to 18:45, Saturday from 15:00 to 15:45 and Sunday from 13:15 to 14:00
Crooner’s Corner is a great place to take a step back while at Glastonbury Festival – to kick back and unwind with a few easy tunes. And it isn’t like other stages, in fact, it isn’t really even a stage, being made up of a PA system in a small corner of the Circus Field by Bella’s Bridge. Making her Glastonbury Festival debut there is Charlotte May, who’ll be singing a medley of timeless Jazz classics as well as some Big Band numbers.
An Evening with Rimski & Handkerchief plus special guests from Thursday to Sunday from 22:00 to 00:00
Rimski & Handkerchief are a curious spectacle with their marvellous musical machines: the Bicycle Piano and Double Bassicle. From Thursday, the pair offer a special evening of variety entertainment in Rimski’s bespoke area in the top corner of Glebeland with a host of special guests. Expect music, dance, aerial performance and the unexpected.
Glastonbury Festival 2024 takes place from 26 to 30 June
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