Twenty must-see events as part of the 20th Portsmouth Festivities
With more than 100 events to choose from over its 10-day run from June 14-23, the theme this year is TWENTY, so today we pick 20 of the best.
For more information go to portsmouthfestivities.co.uk.
HOMAGE
June 14-16, 19-23
11am-4pm
Aspex Gallery, The Vulcan Building, Gunwharf Quays
Free event – no ticket required
Pupils from The Portsmouth Grammar School have been invited to create entirely new works in response to twenty years of specially selected festivities archive material. Experience this diverse exhibition and pay homage to Portsmouth Festivities in its 20th year.
Pity of War
June 14-23
10am-5pm
National Museum of the Royal Navy, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
Free (with a Portsmouth Historic Dockyard valid attraction ticket)
The Pity of War sculpture commemorates civilian war deaths, and pays respect to the nameless survivors and victims of war. Visit the National Museum of the Royal Navy to see this powerful artefact.
Cardinall’s Musick
June 14
8-9.45pm
Portsmouth Cathedral, High Street
£17/£15
What better way to start Festivities’ 10-day extravaganza than with The Cardinall’s Musick, a highly successful and innovative chamber choir, known for its study and performance of English Renaissance music. Share in some of the finest music written for the ensemble in recent years, as well as masterpieces of the 16 th Century.
Mari Kalkun
June 15
8.00-10.30pm
St George’s Church, Portsea
£15/£13.50
Lose yourself in this meditative mix of Estonian tradition and innovative songwriting, brought to you by one of the most forward-looking folk artists today. Since releasing her first album in Estonia in 2007, Mari Kalkun had toured Europe and sold albums as far afield as Japan. In 2018. Her fifth and latest album, Ilmamõtsan, was ranked in The Guardian’s top 10 best world albums.
Jay Rayner: The Ten Food Commandments
June 16
7.30-9.30pm
David Russell Theatre, The Portsmouth Grammar School, High Street
£22.50/£20
Join the award-winning restaurant critic, MasterChef judge and chair of BBC Radio 4’s Kitchen Cabinet as he attempts to lead us to the edible promised land. This audio-visual romp includes a Q&A and book signing.
Simon Singh
June 17
7-9pm
David Russell Theatre, The Portsmouth Grammar School, High Street
£10/£8/£3
Join popular science and maths writer Simon Singh on a whistle-stop tour through two decades of his bestselling books. Simon will be appearing at the David Russell Theatre in Portsmouth Grammar School, speaking on subjects such as Fermat’s Last Theorem, cryptology, cosmology, medicine, and The Simpsons!
Young People’s Debate
June 18
4.30-6.30pm (extended end time)
Sixth Form, The Portsmouth Grammar School, High Street
Free – ticket required
The topic of this year’s Young Peoples Debate is ‘Too much, too young?’ Why can I have sex and get married when I’m 16, but still can’t drive a car or drink alcohol? Should the age of consent be increased? Should there be more age restrictions on social media? Portsmouth Festivities is opening the forum on the topics which concern young people the most. If students at your school want to have their say, they can guarantee places by emailing [email protected].
Jason Rebello
June 18
7.30pm
David Russell Theatre, The Portsmouth Grammar School, High Street
£15/£13
Celebrated British jazz pianist Jason Rebello was labelled ‘a veteran’ by the critics at 19, and over the next decade won most of the major jazz music award. He has performed with artists including Sting, Jeff Beck and Peter Gabriel, and his latest release Held (2016) won Album of the Year in the British Jazz Awards.
Touching
June 18
7.30-9.30pm
Guildhall Studio, Portsmouth Guildhall
£12/£10
What’s too close? What’s too far? What’s too familiar? What’s too much? What’s the problem? Where’s the line? In their new play, Touching, Jo Harper and James Robinson invite you to consider the changing relationship between men and women.
The Sound Clash Orchestra
June 19
7-9pm
David Russell Theatre, The Portsmouth Grammar School, High Street
£15/£13
SoCo Music Project, purveyors of engaging contemporary music making, and SÓN, a versatile and virtuosic chamber orchestra, join forces with Special schools in Portsmouth to bring you the Sound Clash Orchestra. Join us for an evening of unique music, fusing the classical with the futuristic.
Duende with Keith James
June 19
8-10pm
Guildhall Studio, Portsmouth Guildhall
£13/£11
Hear the haunting and exotic poetry of Frederica Garcia Lorca, Pablo Neruda and Isabel Allende, performed as songs and set to a collection of rich, daring and fiery classical guitar compositions.
Dance in a Day
June 20
5.30-6.50pm
Mayfield School, Mayfield Road, Portsmouth
£5/£3.50
Members of the public are invited to attend an evening performance at Mayfield School, as children from Portsmouth’s primary schools perform dances of the 16 th Century. Pupils will spend the day receiving workshops from Nonsuch History & Dance, before they be showing what they’ve learned to you! If you would like your school to be involved, get in touch with us at [email protected].
Kate Mosse
June 20
7-8.30pm
The Square Tower, Broad Street
£10/£8
Join the conversation with international bestselling novelist, playwright and non-fiction writer, Kate Mosse. Kate is the author of six novels and short story collections, including the multi-million selling Languedoc Triology (Labyrinth, Sepulchre and Citadel). Her books have been translated into 37 languages and published in more than forty countries.
Poisoned Beds
June 20
7.30-9.30pm
Guildhall Studio, Portsmouth Guildhall
£12/£10
Poisoned Beds presents a captivating story of personal liberation, votes for women and the death of the English oyster industry. Paula Tinker and John Gleadall give virtuosic performances of Lucy Flannery and Greg Mosse’s superb script. This moving performance will be followed by a revealing post-show discussion.
Empowering Women in Politics
June 21
3-4.30pm
David Russell Theatre, The Portsmouth Grammar School, High Street
Free: Limited capacity – ticket required)
2019 marks 100 years since Nancy Astor took her seat as MP for our fellow port city of Plymouth. Join us for a panel-based discussion on more recent female experiences of the political world, of both participators and commentators.
Fight Club
21 June
7pm
No.6 Cinema, Boathouse 6, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
£9/£7.50/£5
As part of a screening series of films in their 20th anniversary, No6 Cinema and Portsmouth Festivities presents Fight Club. With a plot unlike anything ever seen before, Fight Club deftly captures pre-millennial tension – a brash slap in the face for consumerism.
Tenebrae Consort
June 21
8.15-9.30pm
Portsmouth Cathedral, High Street
£17/£15
The internationally acclaimed Tenebrae Consort are bringing a programme of Gregorian chant alongside Thomas Tallis’s intensely moving Lamentations of Jeremiah. Immerse yourself in the hypnotic tranquillity of unaccompanied plainsong, psalms and hymns, paired with the elegant counterpoint of Tallis and Sheppard. Directed by Nigel Short.
Guy Johnston
June 22
7.30-9pm
David Russell Theatre, The Portsmouth Grammar School, High Street
£15/£13
Guy Johnston is one of the most exciting cellists of his generation. After winning BBC Young Musician of the Year in 2000, Guy went onto become an internationally renowned soloist and performer. Don’t miss this delightful mix of 19 t -century and contemporary music.
Pif Paf presents: SEED
23 June
12.30-1.05pm & 2.30-3.05pm
Southsea Castle, Clarence Esplande, Portsmouth
Free – open to all age groups
Take a journey into the life of the young and ancient trees that we walk under every day with Pif Paf’s street theatre show. Intimate and explosive, the show contains live and specially-composed music. It is full of captivating images, puppetry, giant inflatables, and Pif Paf’s trademark inventions.
20 Love
8-9.30pm
June 23
Governor’s Green, Portsmouth
Free (ticket required)
What better way to end Festivities’ ten-day extravaganza than with a world premiere: 20 Love. Join us for a free outdoor event which will see modern day version of the work of Pablo Neruda translated into film, spoken word and music, and featuring some of the most exciting artists in the UK today.