Unity Festival to return to Wales with week-long celebration of inclusive arts

One of Europe’s largest inclusive arts festivals will return to Wales this summer with performances across the country.

Leading inclusive theatre company Hijinx has announced details of the Unity Festival 2026, set to take place from 30 June to 5 July 2026 at Wales Millennium Centre, Chapter Arts Centre and The Glee Club in Cardiff.

The only inclusive arts festival of its kind in Wales, Unity will also host satellite performances in Llanelli on 25 June and Mold on 27 June.

The festival, now in its 12^th edition, connects audiences to artists from across Wales and international performers, offering a programme of street, foyer and studio entertainment.

The programme will include comedy, music, drag, circus, theatre and dance. This year’s Unity Festival officially opens with street entertainment in Llanelli and Mold with performances by Kitsch & Sync, Stopgap Dance Company, tanzbar_bremen and Humans Move.

The partnership with Theatr Clwyd in Mold is new for the festival this year and further establishes North Wales as an important hub for the company with Hijinx’s Academy already based there.

The main programme of Unity Festival events will then begin in Cardiff on 30 June, continuing in the city until the culmination of the festival on 5 July.

Performances will light up the foyer at the Wales Millennium Centre, the venue’s Weston Studio and outside the front of the building in Cardiff Bay.

Hijinx will host an Artist Exchange Conference at WMC, partnered with Cultural Bridge, which supports arts and cultural organisations across the UK and Germany to develop partnerships that explore social arts practice.

The event will see creatives and decision makers from the industry discussing opportunities and future initiatives for the arts and international performance.

In addition, a programme of scratch performance will take place at Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff giving local acts Same Hat Theatre and House of Deviant an opportunity to share work in development.

There will also be a comedy night produced by Hijinx’s Associate Artist (and stand-up comedian), Richard Newnham, at Cardiff’s Glee Club.

International performers include Theater Thikwa, Blaumier Atelier, Danza Mobile, Vero Cendoya, Collettivo Clochart and ADM-VZW.

Hijinx theatre company champions learning disabled and/or autistic artists through “provocative, impactful and outstandingly entertaining productions”.

Artistic Director and Co-CEO of Hijinx, Ben Pettit Wade, said: “Performances that change the way that we perceive the world are the performances that remain with us forever. Visitors to this year’s programme will witness everything from the first man on the moon to a performance of Carmen with a difference!”

Executive Director and Co-CEO of Hijinx, Eloise Tong, added: “Through bringing artists together, both neurodivergent and neurotypical, Hijinx presents a world that champions inclusion and challenges perceptions.

“We have a loyal following of people who have seen our productions and love what we do. A festival setting offers us the opportunity for more people who haven’t yet discovered Hijinx or the Unity Festival to enjoy new experiences and to delight in inclusive performance and theatre.”

This year, the Unity Festival has also partnered with the Cardiff Food and Drink Festival, taking place from 3 to 5 July and presenting pop up outdoor performances outside Wales Millennium Centre.

Unity Festival 2026’s ticketed events go on sale from Friday 17 April. For more information visit the Hijinx site here.

The Unity Festival is supported by Arts Council of Wales, Welsh Government through Events Wales, The Leche Trust, Cultural Bridge, Taith, First Choice Housing Association, The Jenour Foundation and Grant Stephens Family Law.