A weekend of free parties, events, discussions and performances marks the youth arts charity’s ongoing 40th birthday celebratons

Ham & High: Wac Arts Liberation DiscoWac Arts Liberation Disco (Image: Archant)

Wac Arts continues to celebrate 40 years of empowering young people to change their world through the arts with a weekend of activities.

The WAWA Weekender Festival - We Are Wac Arts - throws open the doors of the old Hampstead Town Hall to the public for three days of shows, family activites, and workshops and discussion.

Events include a late night party to celebrate Hampstead Town Hall's history of supporting the LGBTQ+ movement, with a DJ set by Ana Matronic of the Scissor Sisters and cabaret acts including Dolly Trolly Drag and London Gay Men's Chorus.

From sufragette rallies, to Lord Pitt's anti-racism speech, the Nigerian Women's League holding their first dance, to the Gay Liberation Front's disco in the 1970s, the venue in Haverstock Hill has a rich history of social activism.

Ham & High: Wac Arts Liberation DiscoWac Arts Liberation Disco (Image: Archant)

Other events over the weekend of July 26-28 include a special edition of ex Wac Arts student Che Walker's Revolution - a show made up of acts from different performing arts disciplines starring Wac Arts patron and local resident Simon Callow.

"The WAWA Weekender is an exciting and vibrant celebration of our heritage and our home at Hampstead Old Town Hall," said festival producer and director of programmes Lindsey Pugh.

"The origins of Wac Arts are rooted in social change, and this year's cross-arts festival commemorates the change-makers associated with the rich history of our 140-year-old building and its diverse communities. We are delighted to host a series of discussions, workshops, performances and parties for all our communities."

wacarts.co.uk