Kiln Theatre Reveals Further Details For Kilburn High Road Festival
The Kilburn High Road Festival takes place from 31 July – 15 August 2026.
Kiln Theatre has announced further details for the Kilburn High Road Festival including the titles for Passages, three site specific theatre experiences. A major, three-year place-based programme part-funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Kilburn High Road Project will celebrate stories and share the heritage of the local communities living and working in Kilburn. The Kilburn High Road Festival takes place from 31 July – 15 August 2026.
Now in its final year in 2026, the project culminates with the Kilburn High Road Festival, including theatre, music, site-specific performances and visual art exhibitions, commencing with Kiln Theatre's largest community production to date.
Across the first two years of the project, Kiln Theatre engaged with local residents of all ages to co-create multidisciplinary art, including performances, events, and workshops. Participants have worked alongside professional artists and a community advisory board to explore the history of Kilburn High Road while building creative skills, confidence and celebrating pride in place.
ALL THE THINGS WE CAN'T EXPLAIN
A Kiln Theatre production
by Sonia Jalaly
co-directed by Kane Husbands and Izzy Rabey
31 July – 1 August 2026
Opening night: Friday 31 July, 7pm
As long as this heart lives, so too will Kilburn.
Kilburn is at a crossroads. Local institutions are being closed, The Suits are sniffing around, and there's talk of 'rejuvenation'. When out of nowhere, a mysterious object presents itself - the bloody, beating heart of Kilburn.
As excitement around this unprecedented discovery spreads, the community is under threat, can the people of Kilburn come together and hold on to what's theirs?
In this flagship community production, Kiln's Intergenerational Company, made up of 80 cast members ranging from ages 6-88, take to the mainstage to kick off the new season.
The production kicks off The Kilburn High Road Festival, the culmination of Celebrating our Stories: The Kilburn High Road Project, our three-year heritage project made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to National Lottery Players.
The full cast includes Kathy, Jinal, Lisa, Melanie, Lynda, Ozzie, Rachel, Shayan, Sacha, Gus, Nathan, Alice, Remi, Paddy, Jayla, Hasu, Su, Serenna, Richard, Geoff, Edie, Ida, Sophie, Diana, Orla, Mahaylia, David, Vivienne, Trilby, Verity, D'Andre, Nunzia, Adriana, Minnie, Ruby, Sala, Ana, Amita, Gilbert, Viji, Desmond, Leandra, Orlando, Casei, Reem, Darragh, Abdel, Samar, Jaypal, Lina, Nafas, Malak, Sophia, Xenia, Marley, Aine, Mabel, Reva, Illius, Marcus, Aarabi, Jeremy, Jo, Vicko, Maura, Kristina, Tayyab, Amira.
Location: Kiln Theatre, Main Auditorium
Timings: 2.30pm & 7pm
CAPTURING KILBURN
31 July – 15 August 2026
Photographer Roy Mehta will create a series of portraits celebrating five Kilburn business owners, including Kilburn Cycles, MP Moran's, Sadie's Bridal, Ariana II, and Folkie's Music Shop. The project honours not only the individuals themselves, but the layered histories and heritages of their businesses and the buildings they occupy.
Each portrait will be presented within a bespoke framed collage, combining contemporary photography with archival images alongside found objects and materials connected to each business owner.
These works will be displayed in the shopfront windows of the participating businesses, transforming everyday spaces into a public exhibition. Passers-by will experience Kilburn's history and present-day life as they move along the High Road.
Location: Locations along the Kilburn High Road. Maps will be available at Kiln Theatre and online
Timings: 11am – 6pm, dependent on business opening hours
Tickets: Free, no ticket needed
Suitable for all ages.
PASSAGES – THREE SITE SPECIFIC THEATRE EXPERIENCES
Through a public callout, targeted workshops and collaborations with local organisations, 95 stories of Kilburn have been gathered as part of the Passages Project. From these stories, three themes have been selected for adaptation by professional playwrights, directors, actors and dramaturgs into site-specific performances, titled This Road, KEITH, and Meet Me Here, each inspired by Kilburn's tradition of walking tours. All 95 stories will be displayed in a multi form exhibition at Kiln Theatre during the festival.
THIS ROAD
This first adaptation celebrates Kilburn's rich and diverse food culture. Eve is on a mission - it's her niece's birthday, and somewhere on the Kilburn High Road is the perfect gift. With stories of restaurateurs, new mothers, shops of now and shops of the past, of Boudica and the Romans, audiences will embark on a guided headphone journey. The production will be developed in collaboration with Sam Brewer, an Audio Description Consultant, ensuring integrated audio description within the script and making the experience fully accessible for blind and visually impaired audiences.
Written by Marika McKennell, directed by Sam Potter and Sound Design by Alessandro Quao.
Location: Kilburn High Road, meeting point at Kiln Theatre
Dates: 31 July – 15 August
Timings: Every hour, 1pm – 7pm
Tickets: Free
Suitable for ages 14+.
KEITH
The second performance is drawn from two submissions about a mutual friend, Keith who lived in Kilburn for all 103 years of his life. Staged within a High Road café, audiences will sit alongside actors and experience Keith's story through the words of those who knew him.
Written by Martha Haidari and directed by Imy Wyatt Corner.
Location: Kilburn High Road, meeting point at Kiln Theatre
Dates: 4-8 August
Timings: 1pm, 1.45pm, 2.30pm, 3.30pm, 6.15pm & 7pm
Tickets: From £5
Suitable for ages 14+.
MEET ME HERE
The third adaptation will take the form of a promenade performance along the High Road. A story of three Kilburners, meeting across time will unfold in public spaces, evoking memorable nights out in Kilburn, past and present.
Written by Nicole Latchana and directed by Ben Grant.
Location: Kilburn High Road, meeting point at Kiln Theatre
Dates: 11-15 August
Timings: 1.30pm, 3pm, 5.30pm, & 7pm
Tickets: From £5,
Suitable for ages 14+.
THE HIGH ROAD: UNFRAMED – OUTDOOR INSTALLATION
31 July – 15 August 2026
Kiln Theatre has been collaborating with Action Space, an acclaimed artist collective that works with learning-disabled artists, providing professional guidance and support to develop their artistic practice.
Six Action Space Artists have created new work inspired by Kilburn, with designer Christianna Mason adapting each piece into a large-scale outdoor installation to be presented along the High Road.
The work includes adaptations of a sculpture by Abubakar Akram, mirroring the architecture on the intersection of Kilburn High Road and West End Lane, as well as a piece by Iffah Amaioua, whose practice centres on the layering of materials and paint to create richly textured, otherworldly landscapes.
Four other artists; Benjamin Allen, Ajanthan Jeevan, Mohammed Imran Khan and Daniel Seneviratne, form the remainder of the exhibition.
Location: Locations along the Kilburn High Road. Maps will be available at Kiln Theatre and online
Tickets: Free, no ticket needed
Suitable for all ages.
SOUND OF KILBURN
8 August 2026
Kilburn has always had rich musical heritages - from its reggae roots to legendary performances at venues like the National by artists such as Nirvana, and the ongoing grassroots presence from ICMP students and in pubs like the Colin Campbell, the Kilburn Arms and the North London Tavern.
The Sound of Kilburn will bring together these musical heritages in a mix of genres and traditions by forming a new Kilburn House Band, created through open jam sessions and unique collaborations. The Kilburn House Band will perform live at outdoor locations on the Kilburn High Road.
This project will activate key shopping locations, bringing footfall and new audiences to Kilburn's wealth of shops and market stalls, new and old.
Location: Kilburn Market
Timings: 11.30am, 1pm & 3.30pm
Tickets: Free, no ticket needed
Suitable for all ages.
KILN CINEMA
A series of one-off cinema events taking place throughout the Festival, including the final instalment of Kiln's Town Hall Talks with: Reel Kilburn. This event will be hosted by a local historian joined by filmmakers from the area who have documented Kilburn and its community over the years. Locally produced films will be screened with post show discussion and insight into how cinema has evolved through generations. There will be one off film screenings of Kings and Babymother, both of which are filmed in Brent.
KINGS
Four friends gather to host a wake for their recently-departed friend. All five made the journey to Camden from Connemara in the 1970s, seeking a better life, but the years have been harder on some more than others. As they look back on thirty years in Kilburn, the ways they have supported and failed each other are picked over one booze-soaked, joyous and torrid night.
Based upon Jimmy Murphy's stage play The Kings of the Kilburn High Road (staged at Kiln Theatre in 2001), this adaptation is a showcase for some of Ireland's finest actors including Colm Meaney and Brendan Conroy (most recently seen in That They May Face the Rising Sun), as well as stuffed with sights that'll be very familiar to Kilburn locals. While very attentive to the specific experience of the Irish diaspora, this film will resonate with anyone who has made the decision to make a new life away from their home.
6 August, 8pm
Tickets: £5 - £10
REEL KILBURN
An evening of exploration of Kilburn's rich heritage of film. From Kilburn's cinemas to local filmmakers, join us for shorts and discussions with artists and collaborators who have captured the area over the years.
11 August, 7pm
Tickets: Free
BABYMOTHER
A modern Black British classic recently restored, Babymother follows Anita (Anjela Lauren Smith), a mum on a Harlesden housing estate who dreams of making it as a reggae star. Forming the all-girl group Neeta, Sweeta and Nastie, with her friends Sharon (Caroline Chikezie) and Yvette (Jocelyn Esien), she puts herself centre stage for the first time in her life. But when family drama comes round the corner, can she keep the spotlight?
Written by icons of Lovers Rock Carroll Thompson and Beres Hammond, Babymother is a love letter to North West London's Black community, with plenty of Brent locations to look out for. The film is shot in stunning, warm colour that reflects its affection for its characters. Julian Henriques debut is a delightful, music-dipped treat, whether you're rewatching or discovering it today.
13 August, 8pm
Tickets: £5 - £10
