Vault Festival is back – January 28

One of the fastest growing arts festivals in the UK, VAULT Festival, is back on January 28 with tickets to VAULT500 now on-sale with its biggest edition across eight packed weeks.

With more than 500 shows, the programme will feature more than 2,700 artists, with 64 per cent of work being female-led, 33 per cent from LGBTQ+ artists and 25 per cent of work from BAME artists.

VAULT500 say they aim to develop and nurture the next generation of artists by being an accessible platform for people from all backgrounds, with emerging makers now appearing alongside such established artists as Shappi Khorsandi, Mark Watson and Jordan Brookes.

The VAULT Festival directors and producers Mat Burtcher and Andy George said: “We are excited about the new partnerships we’ve formed this year.

“Our goal has always been to continually break down barriers to inclusion, providing as many opportunities for artists as we are able, whatever their background.

“VAULT Festival continues to fill and expand cultural imaginations, and we want to encourage everyone to fill their lives with creativity, adventure and inspiration.”

This year the festival will see two new shows from BAME-led creative teams.

The Brand Nouveau Riche Initiative VAULT Festival Edition will work with emerging writers and directors of colour to create new pieces which will premiere at the Festival.

VAULT Festival has also introduced a brand new programme of Forge Lates on Friday nights, providing a creative space for new companies who want to make an impact on the late night entertainment scene.

The Cocoa Butter Club will showcase burlesque, circus, drag, aerial, hoops, spoken word, vocals and celebrate performers of colour while the cream of the new crop of graduates of Soho Theatre’s Cabaret & Drag Lab will take to the stage promoting queerness and punk.

This year will see the inaugural year of The CULTIVATE Bursary which will be awarded to two working class artists at this year’s Festival.

The recipients of the Bursary will receive a £1,000 cash injection towards the cost of their production and £750 worth of PR and marketing, as well as mentorship and increased industry exposure.

New for the 2020 festival is the Time for Change Space in collaboration with Restless Development – a charity who train and support 8,000 youth leaders around the world to effect change in their communities, working to end poverty, inequality and fight injustice.