Riverside Studios Unveils Complete Bitesize Festival VII Program

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The Hammersmith venue will present a short film festival, art exhibition, music festival, and Bitesize Awards.

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Riverside Studios has announced the full programme for Bitesize Festival VII, its annual festival championing the next generation of artists. Running from 27 July – 30 August 2026, this special edition marks five years of Bitesize Festival with its biggest programme to date: five weeks of theatre, comedy, cabaret, dance, spoken word, live music, visual art and short film, featuring more than 50 performances, events and screenings across the venue.

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Since launching in 2022, Bitesize Festival has established itself as one of London's most exciting platforms for emerging and independent artists, showcasing bold new work alongside established talent. This year's festival celebrates both Riverside Studios' rich artistic legacy and the creative voices shaping its future, transforming the venue into a vibrant hub of innovation, experimentation and storytelling.

Alongside an extensive programme of live performance in Studio 3 and the River Room, audiences can experience the Bitesize Festival Art Exhibition, the return of the Bitesize Short Film Festival, a Music One Day Festival featuring nine live acts, and the annual Bitesize Awards, which celebrate the standout artists and productions of the festival.

The festival will begin with a Launch Day on Friday 24 July, marking the start of five weeks of theatre, film, art and live performance across Riverside Studios. Press Day will take place on Saturday 1 August, followed by the Exhibition Launch on Saturday 8 August, celebrating this year's visual artists.

On Saturday 15 August, a Music One Day Festival will bring together nine live acts for a day of music across the venue, with the full line-up to be announced soon.

The festival continues with the Bitesize Short Film Festival from 21 – 23 August, showcasing bold new filmmaking talent, before culminating in Awards Night on Sunday 30 August, celebrating the outstanding artists and productions from across this year's festival.

The full line-up for Bitesize Festival 2026 includes:

PALESTEENIAN (27 July–2 August), a semi-autobiographical solo show about growing up Palestinian in South London, blending identity, coming of age, comedy and heart; A FABLE (29 July–1 August), a visually striking suitcase puppetry performance reimagining stories from Welsh, Danish and Chinese folklore to explore truth, guilt and power; RAY (30 July–2 August), a verbatim play about what it means to remember someone through stories rather than your own memories; MEAT ME IN SHOREDITCH (1 August), a darkly comic exploration of female image, modern dating and urban loneliness in a city obsessed with perfection; KNOTS (2 August), a collaborative Noise Night bringing together activists, poets, playwrights, movement artists and sound performers for an evening exploring hope, resistance and lived experience.

HARMONISE OR DIE (3–6 August), a dark, side-eyed, comedy, sci-fi set in a post-scarcity utopia where citizens must maintain strict emotional regulation in order to retain their citizenship.; LIFEGUARDS: THE MUSICAL (3-7 August), a riotous new musical comedy in which three underpaid lifeguards spark a media frenzy when they go on strike, delivering original songs and razor-sharp satire on influencer culture, corporate greed and the pursuit of viral fame; KÄTZCHEN (4–8 August), an afro-surrealist one-woman show unravelling the coming-of-age story of the black feminine.; DANIEL MOORE'S DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO FAILURE-FREE LIVING (5–8 August), a darkly comic one-man dystopian fable by Offie Award nominee Matthew Edgar satirising success, productivity and self-improvement; REPUBLIC OF SILENCE (6–9 August), a powerful drama inspired by true stories from the Sean Ross mother and baby institution in Tipperary, moving between 1965 and the present day; CAN I SIT DOWN PLEASE? (6–8 August), a funny, honest and deeply personal solo show about navigating London with an invisible disability; A CRIMINAL MELODY (8–9 August), a witty noir-inspired comedy in which a self-absorbed detective is visited by the ghost of his ex-wife and three mysterious spirits; TOO SMALL TO TELL (8–9 August), a deeply personal one woman show by Lisa Rose, inspired by her experiences working for a now-notorious film mogul in the 1990s. Blending humour and heartbreak, Rose explores power, silence, and survival in an industry built on secrets. OUR MOTHERS' DAUGHTERS (8–9 August), a sharp, heartfelt drama following three young women navigating friendship, identity, sexuality, family and choice.

PHANTASIA (11–16 August), a moving and inventive play following Ayaan, a young Somali-British woman whose inner world has become more vivid than reality itself; SOMEONE HAS GOT TO BE JOHN (10–11 August), a playful, genre-defying fever dream from award-winning Queer/Trans ensemble Speakbeast, blending queer history, pop culture and sharp humour; THE GIRLS I LOOK UP TO (12–16 AUGUST), is a poignant new drama that follows four friends from childhood into adulthood, exploring memory, friendship and grief as one woman attempts to preserve the story of a friend whose life becomes increasingly difficult to hold onto; THIS TIME IS DIFFERENT (14 August), a heartfelt comedy show by Zhou Ning blending stand-up, live music and storytelling to explore love, queerness, family and immigration; MOLLUSC (14–15 August), a dark anti-rom-com following exes Frankie and El across five years, from first dates and house parties to an unexpected reunion in an abortion clinic; STUCK IN DUBAI (14–16 August), a hilarious true story from South African comedian Dalin Oliver about a four-day layover that spirals into chaos;

SPLINTERED (18–23 August), a moving drama set during the Biafran War and post-war Nigeria, following childhood friends Ade and Tolu as they come of age in a world shaped by conflict; CUSTARD TARTS (20–23 August), a witty, heartwarming and gloriously camp comedy following Nancy as she summons four queer women from across the twentieth century to help her find belonging; THE WAITING (20–22 August), a bold, multilingual one-woman show about a former French supermodel who abandons her wedding and confronts the reality behind a life of glamour and excess.

THE SABOTEUR (24–25 August), a fast-paced interactive comedy in which five improvisers attempt to put on a great show while one secret saboteur tries to derail it from within; PANTO DAME EGO DEATH (24–26 August), an award-winning musical comedy from Pint Glass Theatre following a washed-up pantomime dame on a surreal quest through a bizarre fantasy world; THE RISE OF Josephine Baker (25–28 August), a vibrant drama set in 1920s Paris following Josephine Baker as she leaves segregation-era America and rises to international fame during the Jazz Age; L.A. BABY (25–28 August), a darkly comic solo show from award-winning actor and comedian Ambrosine Davies inspired by her extraordinary nine years in Los Angeles; BABY STEPS (26–28 August), a witty and heartwarming comedy about the impossible tangle of life-decisions facing young women right now. PLAYING THE FEELD (27–30 August), is a raucous comedy about sex, dating, and the things we do in search of connection; HOW CAN A BODY WITHSTAND THIS? (28–30 August), a powerful solo theatre work weaving a personal story of loss with the history of 19th-century abortion provider Madame Restell; THE GREAT DIVINATOR: TOUCHED BY SPIRITS (28 August), an award-winning comedy, drag and mind-reading show from Magic Circle member Katie Tranter , blending Victorian séance theatrics with outrageous audience participation; THIS CAN'T BE IT (29-30 August), an unpredictable and immersive solo performance from Loz Dodd that promises to be different every night.

Rhys Williamson, Head of Programming at Riverside Studios, said, “Bitesize is about giving artists space, audiences discovery, and bold ideas the chance to meet the people they were made for. This year's programme is our biggest yet, and reflects the extraordinary range of voices, forms and stories shaping new performance right now. From intimate solo work to hip-hop theatre, puppetry, stand-up, physical theatre, cabaret and urgent new drama, Bitesize Festival 50 is a celebration of creativity in all its forms.”

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/article/Riverside-Studios-Reveals-Full-Programme-For-Bitesize-Festival-VII-20260604)._