Unity Theatre Unveils Spring 2026 Festival Season In Liverpool

Unity Theatre in Liverpool will present a multi-genre festival season running throughout March, April, and May 2026. The programme will include comedy, theatre, film, dance, and improvisation events showcasing artists from Liverpool and beyond.

The season begins with the Unity Comedy Festival, running March 14 through March 21. The inaugural event will feature a range of comedy performances including clowning from Dru Cripps and the award-winning working-class comedy show Best in Class, with multiple performances taking place across both weekends of the festival.

The Up Next Festival, scheduled for March 25 through March 28, will celebrate creative work from across Merseyside. The festival presents projects at any stage of development and across a wide range of artforms. The programme is expected to include world premiere plays, poetry, improvisation, cabaret, installations, drag performances, and live music.

Unity Theatre will then host the Horizon Film Festival on April 10 and 11. The event will showcase short films by emerging Liverpool filmmakers and provide opportunities for audiences to meet the artists behind the work.

From April 30 through May 2, Unity Theatre will present the LEAP Dance Festival, highlighting new work by local dance artists, community groups, and young performers. The festival will include the Liverpool Dance Prize, in which four emerging choreographers present new pieces while competing for a £1,000 development fund.

The LEAP programme will also feature Queer Moves, a triple bill of works by LGBTQIA+ artists commissioned by Culture Liverpool and supported by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The festival will conclude with a solo performance by dancer Akeim Toussaint Buck, whose autobiographical work combines dance, song, and spoken word while reflecting on his migration from Jamaica to the United Kingdom and exploring themes of colonialism, displacement, and power.

The spring season will conclude with the Liverpool Improvisation Festival (LiF) from May 7 through May 9. The event will bring international improvisers to Liverpool alongside local performers, continuing the city’s connection to improvisational theatre traditions associated with artists such as Ken Campbell, Improbable Theatre, and Showstoppers.

Unity Theatre’s spring festivals will take place across its Liverpool venue throughout March, April, and May. More information about individual events and tickets is available through Unity Theatre.