Hounslow’s Summer of Culture is back with a spectacular line-up

Summer of Culture is the Council's flagship programme celebrating arts, culture and community promises a rich and varied series of events aimed to excite, amaze, educate and inspire. 

The festival gets off to a flaming good start on Saturday, 8 June, with Pyrodise by Firebirds. This outdoor performance is a scintillating mix of fire, dance and circus, and will take place at Bell Square, Hounslow, 9.30pm

This performance also marks the tenth anniversary of Bell Square, an ongoing programme of free international, national and local outdoor performance led by Watermans, a Hounslow-based cultural organisation.

Summer of Culture is now in its third year and includes an array of contributors from the community along with art centres, historic houses, museums, libraries and parks. From live street performances to film screenings and tours, hundreds of amazing events will be held between June and September, many of which are free of charge and family-friendly. 

This year’s programme sees the return of the borough’s Festival of Storytelling and a new addition, Tours & Trails. Both these projects are delivered by Hounslow Council in partnership with local creatives and cultural organisations. 

The Festival of Storytelling, previously held after the pandemic two years ago, will interact with people on Hounslow’s streets, in markets and across the borough, to celebrate the stories of individuals and our many communities through an unusual blend of poetry, spoken word and fruit. 

In partnership with the Chiswick Flower Market, ‘The Poetry Takeaway’ will take place on the first Sundays of the month from June to September, where local ‘chef poets’ will turn participants’ stories into poems. Another featured event, called ‘Fruit’, will take place on Hounslow High Street celebrating stories of different people from across the world and their cultures. Each story will embody the essence of banana, papaya, mango or apple. Look for the ‘fruit stall’ on Hounslow High Street in August to begin your journey.

Tours & Trails is a creative collaboration with local artists: Amy Tickner, Trevor Moore, Ekta Kaul, Gideon Reeling and Jack Fairey. A series of self-guided tours will be created for people to follow, each giving an insight into the history, architecture and culture of our town centres in Hounslow, Chiswick, Feltham, and Brentford. 

The hugely popular ‘Films on the Green’, organised by Hounslow Council’s Events team, will return to parks, the riverside and residential spaces. Residents can bring their popcorn to enjoy some sunshine and blockbusters. Moviegoers can also arrive early and speak with Hounslow Council staff to find out more about the services available to support them.

Screenings will begin on Saturday, 1 June and Sunday, 2 June at 5.30pm.

Summer of Culture events are being added all the time, so bookmark In Hounslow com calendar to stay up to date with what’s on or find Summer of Culture 2024 on social media @SummerofCulture via Facebook - Hounslow Summer of Culture and Instagram.