Bounce Arts Festival 2024

Bounce, Northern Ireland’s most diverse and eclectic arts festival featuring more than 60 d/Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists from across Ireland and the UK, was launched this week.

The 13th annual celebration of the incredible talent and creativity of disabled artists will take place in Belfast, Derry-Londonderry and Limavady from Oct 4th – 6th 2024.

Two headlining commissioned performances include Chasing Amy with Victoria Geelan and her band in the Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast performing the music of Amy Winehouse. And in Limavady at the Roe Valley Cultural Centre, Ruth McGinley and Alice McCullough will collaborate for the first with a night of music, stories and poetry hosted by two artists at the height of their careers.

This year’s Bounce Arts Festival is bringing the classical, the comedic and the cultured together in a programme that is truly exciting, explained University of Atypical for Arts and Disability CEO Edel Murphy.

She said: “We recognise that there are often additional barriers for artists and audiences who are d/Deaf, disabled or neurodivergent. Accessibility and disability representation in the arts is integral to all we do and we hope that both our audiences and artists feel that this festival is genuinely for and by them.”

The festival promises a vibrant weekend showcasing outstanding new work by the very best of established and emerging D/deaf and disabled artists, musicians, actors, comedians, dancers and poets. Accessibility for all is our aim at every venue.

Bounce Arts Festival is supported by our principal funder the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Belfast City Council and D’Oyly Charitable Trust.

Noirin McKinney, Director of Arts Development, Arts Council of Northern Ireland said: “We are committed to supporting the work of D/deaf, neurodivergent and disabled artists, and game-changing funding from The National Lottery enables Bounce Arts Festival to offer an important platform to shine a light on work from these talented artists. I would encourage everyone to go along and enjoy this inspirational festival!”

Highlights include:

• Foyle Pride and Mel Bradley present ‘Not Your Pity Party’ in the Nerve Centre with disabled artists who also identify as LGBTQIA getting the spotlight. 

• For the first time ever, Northern Ireland’s first ever Autistic Comedy Showcase will be held in the Black Box in Belfast. The line-up will feature six comedians on the autistic spectrum who have been performing comedy across Ireland and the UK for years.

• Toilet Paper Diaries, written and performed by Manchester’s Porcelain Delaney in a one woman show, at the Crescent Arts Centre.

• De mo Neamhthoil an installation by Soso NíCheallaigh at the Centre for Contemporary Art in Derry.

• Open Arts Big Takeover at the Crescent Arts Centre with performances from Open Arts Community Choir, Monday Players, Luminous Soul with Mae Murray Teen Hub, Readings from our creative writing group. 

• Theatre maker Jody O’Neill from Cork will present her production ‘Yellow’, a live show about living with autism at the Crescent Arts Centre. She will present her film screening of the theatre production What I (Don’t) Know about Autism at the QFT on Sunday 6th October with Q&A.

• As Bounce Artist in Residence this year, Brian Connolly presents a unique performance art and installation in the Atypical Gallery.

Since its inception during the 2012 Olympics, Bounce has established itself as a unique showcase for diversity and pride in Northern Ireland. It has become a meeting place, a platform for new inspiration, different understandings and changing perceptions of disability.

For more information on all shows and to book tickets, go to www.universityofatypical.org/bounce

- ENDS