5 upcoming festivals for language and culture vultures

paquete-de-vectores-de-comunicacion-gratitud-danke_21-63529923LOTS of language events to look forward in the coming weeks and months around the UK! Here’s a round up…

Kinoteka Polish Film Festival runs from 7th – 17th March.

Venues include the Tate Modern, Riverside Studios and the Barbican Cinema in London, FACT in Liverpool, the Filmhouse in Edinburgh and the Queens’ Film Theatre in Belfast.

The 11th annual festival will host not only films but Q&As with directors, free kid’s animation workshops and interactive cinema workshops for budding writers and directors.

Trafalgar Square once again hosts the Maslenitsa Russian Festival, this year on 16th March.

This is a free folk festival which marks the beginning of Spring as well as being a Russian Orthodox celebration. The festivities are to include music and theatre performances and a bazaar with an assortment of handicrafts. As always you can sample a variety of Russian dishes and maybe even some vodka!

Waterstones in Piccadilly will also be holding a Russian literary event, including a poetry reading and a competition to win Russian books, on 13th March.

The London Asian Film Festival also runs from 7th – 17th March and is this year hosted by multiple venues, including the BFI Southbank and the House of Commons!

A heads up for the Shubbak Festival which runs from 22nd June – 6th July.

A biennial event, Shubbak is a celebration of Arabic culture from all 22 Arabic speaking countries. The festival encompasses architecture, dance, film, literature, music, poetry, theatre and visual arts.

mundo-lengua-global-tierra-internacional-mundo_121-97864From biennial to bi-annual, Hyper Japan is back at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre this July, from 26th – 28th. It’s always packed so if you’re interested, book now! My good friend Emily is the food/drink photographer for the event; you can see her pictures on her blog here and get a taste of what it’s all about!

These events are a great way to further immerse yourself in the culture of the language you’re studying so I recommend you take the opportunity to visit if you can!