The festival will return to Basingstoke, Hampshire, after taking place as a virtual event in 2020 due to the pandemic. The free one-day event has been designed to suit everyone with a mixture of acts to sit and watch and lots of activities for families to enjoy.

All in The Mind Festival aims to shine a light on mental health and wellbeing. The festival was started by Leigh Johnstone of Fluid Motion Theatre Company six years ago. The event exists as a platform to celebrate the power of the arts in improving mental wellbeing and break the stigma that still surrounds many aspects of mental health. It gives artists and creatives a safe space to be heard, with the aim to bring communities together.

This year’s line-up features performances exploring topics including mindfulness, mental wellbeing, stress and loneliness. Many of the performances will be suitable for younger audiences. Some of the material has been written during and inspired by the coronavirus pandemic and periods of lockdown.

Some of the performances include: Listen Up! (Sound Installation), which features six voices from the Recovery Project talking about their reflections and what they’ve taken from their experiences during the pandemic, and Clown About Town, which is a family-friendly street theatre performance created and performed by Lucy Enskat, about a clown on the run, wanted for a crime she didn’t commit. Both of these performances will occur at The Rabbit Burrow. There are many other performances throughout the day across four stages, with plenty going on to keep you entertained.

All in The Mind Festival takes place on Saturday 11 September, from 11am till 6pm in Glebe Garden, Basingstoke. People can register for free tickets and view the full line-up here.