One of Prague’s most distinctive open-air festivals is moving to a new home.

Full programme at www.festivalarena.cz. Tickets are already on sale.

ARENA, the annual celebration of theatre, new circus, music and visual art organized by the Forman Brothers Theatre, will take over Štvanice Island in Prague 7 from June 4 to 25.

Entry to the festival grounds is free.

The headline show is Bird’s Meeting, a production by the Forman Brothers inspired by the work of Persian mystic Fariduddin Attar.

The piece is returning to Prague after a year-long tour of France and Belgium. Joining it are two international acts: French visual artist Boris Gibé with a new performance called Anatomy of Desire, and Belgian ensemble Les P’tits Bras with the acrobatic show Vent d’Ouest.

The island will also host the Imaginarium — an interactive exhibition featuring installations, puppets, theatrical props, painted works and mechanical contraptions created by artists and collaborators of the Forman Brothers. It opens on May 10, ahead of the festival itself, and is designed for visitors of all ages.

Štvanice Island was chosen deliberately. “We were looking for a place that would have its own character — open, by the river, with space for great stories,” said Petr Forman, the festival’s artistic director.

Additional performances include Alenka by the Snadně na dňa association, and Le Grand Théâtre Mécanique by Compagnie de l’Échelle, presented with support from the French Institute in Prague.

Note that the Forman Brothers’ ship Tajemství remains at its usual spot on Rašínovo nábřeží embankment and is not moving to the island.

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