RichmondLive Festival returns!

RichmondLive Festival returned this year to Marble Hill House on the 14th and 15th of September, offering a vibrant celebration of local talent and culture. Set against the stunning backdrop of the Marble Hill grounds, the festival was a free, family-friendly event organised by VisitRichmond in collaboration with English Heritage.

We thank Marble Hill House and Friends of Marble Hill House for sponsoring this event.

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The weekend was packed with diverse performances, interactive workshops, and plenty of opportunities for community engagement.

The festival started each day with morning yoga sessions held by Tina from Lotus and Laurel Yoga, offering a peaceful start to the day before the energy was ramped up with lots of upbeat live performances.

On Saturday, the crowd was treated to cultural dance showcases from across the world with the Ukrainian Dance Ensemble "Stefania" kicking off things, performing various pieces from Ukraine celebrating their rich heritage. The Powerjam Band Project presented BlueZd who brought youthful energy to the event with their blues-rock set, followed by dance performances from Boundless Dance and Freedom Tango, both providing exciting opportunities to engage with various dance forms and involving the audience. DramaCube performed an array of musical theatre hits, one it particular had the audience channelling the inner revolting and naughty child!

The day wrapped up with performances by two bands from The Basement Door, Random Access and On The Wire. The Basement Door is a platform dedicated to empowering young musicians.

The energy continued on Sunday with performances from Tuesday Blue, whose jazz-inspired pop covers had the crowd dancing and singing along. Upahaar School of Dance brought Indian classical dance to the stage, showcasing the beauty and complex nature of this art form. The Lauren Haith School of Dance followed with an outstanding variety of performances, one was even inspired by a story we all know well... Alice In Wonderland!

Dancers from Marble Hill Dance Studio amazed crowds with a delightful mix of dance with performers of all ages taking part. 

Audiences were teleported to Ireland through the O'Connor Irish Dancers performance. Audiences were invited to the stage to give it a go for themselves.

The amazing dance performances continued as the Twickenham Academy of Dance took to the stage - they had performers as young as 6 showing off their best moves to all the popular hits!

DanceWest closed the festival with a routine performed by the audience themselves! The audience were invited to the stage and were quickly taught some moves by instructor Kate before performing the piece and taking a bow.

At RichmondLive Festival there were various taster sessions where audience participation was encouraged so those who were brave enough could try their hand at ballet, tango, and even Irish dancing!

There was a station set up for children to be inspired by their surroundings and the beauty of Marble Hill House and make their own pieces of art, making it a true community event that embraced creativity and participation from all.