Free outdoor festival to bring world-class dance, circus and theatre to Queen’s Square
WREXHAM’S flagship outdoor arts festival will return this summer with its most ambitious programme to date, bringing performers from across Wales and around the world to the heart of the city.
Paallam Arts’ International Spirit Fest will take place in Queen’s Square on Saturday, July 18, with a packed day of free performances celebrating dance, circus, theatre and movement.
Now in its fourth year, the festival will begin at 10.30am and feature artists from Wrexham, Wales, Ireland, India and Spain, offering residents and visitors an opportunity to experience a diverse range of international performances in an open-air setting.
Festival producer Krishnapriya Ramamoorthy said the event would showcase the best of Wrexham’s cultural identity while creating opportunities for audiences to engage directly with the arts.
“Spirit Fest 26 is shaping up to be a vibrant, energetic, jam-packed event that will reflect the very best of our city,” she said.
“We’ll be offering residents and visitors alike the opportunity to watch, participate in and enjoy an experience like no other, one that has been created and curated for the people of Wrexham.”
Among the headline acts will be NoFit State Circus, the UK’s leading large-scale contemporary circus company, which will perform in Wrexham for the first time.
The programme will also feature Kitsch n Sync Collective, known for its blend of comedy and street theatre, alongside a specially commissioned site-specific performance by Irish company Cirkada Circus, supported by Culture Ireland.
In a new development for 2026, Spirit Fest will also host a day-long international conference on Friday, July 17. The event aims to strengthen links between artists and organisations in Wales and overseas, encouraging collaboration and the development of long-term creative partnerships.
Krishnapriya said the conference reflected Paallam Arts’ commitment to creating lasting international networks.
“We’re passionate about developing and providing an international network for artists that enables long-term connections and benefits us in Wrexham as much as it does our collaborators,” she said.
Referencing comments from long-term partner Manoj Kumar, Director of Ayodhana Kalarippayattu Gurukkul, she added: “When you grow, we grow. That’s exactly how we’re viewing this year’s additional conference element. It is an opportunity to learn, to grow and to share alongside artists working locally and much further afield.”
Alongside the festival and conference, Paallam Arts will deliver a programme of subsidised workshops for schools and young people across the city in the lead-up to the event.
The organisation says the educational outreach programme is a key part of its mission to nurture local talent and encourage participation in the arts from an early age.
“We strongly believe in our ability to establish and grow local skills, so that’s why the educational outreach programme is as important as the whole festival itself,” Krishnapriya said.
“For us, it is where we can create a long-term significant impact and build a conversation from a very young age.”
Further details about Spirit Fest 2026 will be announced in the coming weeks.
