Inside Out Dorset

Inside Out Dorset comes to Corfe Castle this September

Activate Performing Arts’ biennial outdoor arts festival, Inside Out Dorset is fast-approaching. Running from 12th to 21st September 2025, the FREE festival comprises of performances, installations, parades and more at five sites across Dorset and the surrounding areas.

On Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st September the festival comes to Corfe Castle. The programme here will feature artists from Catalonia in Spain performing at various locations around the village, plus a giant installation on the ancient slopes of the castle itself.

The exceptional Catalan performers will wow Corfe audiences with skill and precision in unique and mesmerising outdoor shows. Idiòfona will take place in the grounds of Corfe Castle and sees performer Joan Català gather an audience to build an incredible, large sound installation. Using his well-honed style of physical performance, Joan has created a unique performance with metal tubes that brings together the ideas of material, space and community.

Head to Sandy Hill Arts to see We Fear from Eva Marichalar-Freixa and Jordi Duran Roldós with local theatre company Dorsetborn. This is the fifth production in a series of events that integrate performing arts and installation principles. Each production is centred around a common theme: fear.

You’ll be able to see a spinning top world champion in the car park at Corfe Castle Village Hall in the show Poi. Magical and historical, merging circus arts with the roots of Mediterranean culture, this show will amaze young and old alike.

At St. Edward’s Church, the final Catalan company Toc de Fusta, presents Arrels – a collection of twenty wooden games based on various cultural traditions. Each game has its own story and characters waiting for you to enjoy. Experience a meeting place that celebrates diversity and invites you to connect with the customs of different cultures.

Plus, a new temporary giant for the Dorset landscape visits the ancient hillside of Corfe Castle. Consequences by Radical Ritual is part of Nature Calling, a landmark new arts project encouraging audiences to better understand and connect with their local natural landscapes. Inspired by the surrealist creative drawing game of Consequences, this Giant has been created with local communities. Its presentation features a composed soundtrack by Bridport-born musician Douglas Dare with readings by local people.

At Inside Out Dorset, you’ll see a diverse range of free events animating some of the region’s most remarkable places. This year’s festival takes place in Christchurch (12-15 Sept), Moors Valley Country Park and Forest (13-21 Sept), Yeovil (13-14 Sept), Weymouth (18-20 Sept) and Corfe Castle (20-21 Sept). www.insideoutdorset.co.uk