International Circus and 5 star hit show to headline Assembly Festival Garden in Coventry

The Garden will open on Thursday 1 July with a live performance from 5-star hit show Choir of Man created by Andrew Kay and Nic Doodson - the creative minds behind big hit shows Gobsmacked, The Magnets and Soweto Gospel Choir. Imagine the most incredible pub gig you’ve ever been to, then multiply it by ten, and you’ll still be nowhere near the fun that this show exudes throughout. Choir of Man - heralded as the “runaway global sensation of 2018 and 2019”, and “the ultimate feel-good show of the Edinburgh Fringe” comes to Coventry for the first time. Featuring pub tunes, folk, rock and Broadway numbers (Save Tonight, 500 Miles) with world-class tappers, singers and multi-instrumentalists for a joyous and uplifting show for all ages. This runaway hit is 60 minutes of unadulterated entertainment that combines high energy dance, live music and foot stomping choreography with the incredible talent of 9 ordinary guys, set in a pub with a real working bar on stage. Come ready to drink in the action! 

From Friday 2 July, as international performance begins to return to the UK, Circolombia will fly into the Assembly Festival Garden. Fresh from Bogotá (via a two-week isolation stay in Birmingham), this world leading circus company brings extraordinary feats and seamless acts to the stage, all performed with breath-taking, jaw-dropping courage. Featuring performers from Colombia’s National Circus School, Circolombia is a high-energy modern circus show with a distinctive Latin feel, transporting audiences to the streets of Colombia's capital city in a succession of sensational snapshots. Let the power and momentum of this renowned female-led show sweep you away. 

Later in the month there’ll be more family fun in store as the Assembly Festival Garden prepares for an invasion of pre-historic proportions when Dinosaur World Live stomps into the Garden for two weeks from 15 July to 1 Aug. Audience members will be able to come face-to-face with ‘meat’ and greets around the Festival Garden – or enter the Danger Zone at this rip-roaring show. 

To house these mammoth acts, Assembly Festival Garden is bringing the world’s largest spiegeltent, the Queen of Flanders, to Coventry. Making its first appearance in the UK, this spectacular double-decker spiegeltent has a stunning art deco design; with ornate stained glass, wood panelling and two levels of luxury red velvet seating. Plus, for those in the audience wanting to be front and centre of all the action, there is the opportunity to book the best seats in the Royal Gallery to make your long-awaited trip back to the theatre extra special.  

Elsewhere in the Festival Garden the pint-sized spiegeltent Piccolo will play host to its own programme of events, including Coventry City of Culture Trust’s Big Tent Ideas Festival (Fri 9 and Sat 10 July), Comedy Club 4 Kids (Sat 3 July), Mighty Kids Beatbox Comedy Show (Sun 4 and Sun 18 July), comedy from stand-up and impressionist Josh Berry (Sat 24 and Sun 25 July), and open-air music performances taking place on the Piccolo porch. The first of these alfresco gigs will be on Monday 5 July, with English folk singer-songwriter Grace Petrie winning over audiences with her warmth and wit, supported by Lande Hekt.  

Looking over the action is the Festival Garden Treehouse, which will have an eclectic programme throughout the summer, kicking off with theatre that celebrates silliness in a two-actor production of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest (Fri 16 July).  

Beyond the stage there is plenty to entertain visitors to the Assembly Festival Garden with an exciting selection of food and drink options. Audiences are encouraged to arrive in plenty of time to make the most of what’s on offer, and to follow signage and guidance from team members to ensure everyone has the time and space to enjoy their visit.  

William Burdett-Coutts OBE, Artistic Director of Assembly Festival, said: “Assembly has been at the heart of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for the past 40 years and we are honoured to be invited by the City of Culture Trust to play a part in this year’s celebrations in Coventry.   

“The team can’t wait to get back to doing what we do best and creating a fun-filled festival centre which is set to delight audiences from Coventry and beyond. Our aim is to attract a wide audience and welcome back those who might be exploring cultural events for the very first time.” 

Chenine Bhathena, Creative Director of Coventry UK City of Culture, said: “With more than 40 years' experience and an outstanding reputation, Assembly are experts at putting together world-class events, so we are delighted that they will play such a key part in the Coventry UK City of Culture celebrations. We are all excited about the ambitious plans we have for Assembly Festival Garden and can’t wait to work together to create another great reason to visit Coventry this year.” 

  

Director and Creative Producer of Circolombia, Felicity Simpson said: “After 18 months of isolation, we are literally brimming, bursting, buzzing, and positively bouncing with energy, and we are thrilled to be able to bring it to the UK and to connect with the people of Coventry for the celebration of Culture. We will transport you to the streets of Colombia with a direct injection of popping singing jumping rolling throwing bouncing flying laughing feel-good positive energy - which is exactly what everyone needs right now...and we have it spades...hold on Coventry we're coming....” 

Creator, director and co-producer of Choir Man, Nic Doodson said: “We are thrilled to kick-off 2021 at Assembly Festival Gardens as part of the Coventry City of Culture this summer. Our nine lads are ecstatic to be back performing live so expect more energy, more music and more pints! Be ready to rock Coventry and grab your best mates and we’ll see you at the Gardens… the first pint is on us (seriously!) Cheers!” 

Tickets for the headline shows – Circolombia and Choir of Man are on sale now, with Dinosaur World Live and further shows going on sale from Thursday 17 June. More shows will be announced in the coming weeks.  

Assembly Festival Garden has been designed from the ground-up to ensure that the safety and wellbeing of customers and staff is paramount. We carry the ‘We’re Good to Go’ mark meaning that we operate in line with current Government guidelines for COVID-19 and have relevant risk assessments in place. Capacities at our venues have been reduced to enable physical distancing measures to be put in place. All payments at the box office, food outlets and bars are contactless to avoid unnecessary cash handling and there will be additional cleaning between shows as well as hand sanitisation stations located throughout the garden.  

For tickets and to keep up to date about the programme visit www.assemblyfestivalgarden.com.  

For more information about Coventry City of Culture or to sign up to the newsletter, go to www.coventry2021.co.uk.