As the calendar turns to 2025, it's the perfect time to pause and reflect on the year that was. 2024 was a year of transformation, challenges, triumphs, and unforgettable moments that shaped us. In this blog, we look back at some of the highlights that made 2024 memorable. Here's to celebrating the past while gearing up for the exciting journey ahead!
We opened the year with our Winter Warm Space, offering creative workshops, hot-desking opportunities, and a place to come together to share food and conversation. Our community space created an environment for building connections and fostering conversations across the different communities of our local Square Mile, Milltir Sgwar.
In February, we presented our first community event of the year, Golau Parc Light, at Brewery Park. Over the 2-day festival, we welcomed 1,600 people! This festival of fire and light featured fire sculptures, live music, light installations, circus performances, and storytelling—celebrating the talents of local artists and community members at the heart of our vibrant local community.
In March, we collaborated with the Welsh National Opera to stage Death in Venice, directed by Olivia Fuchs and featuring Mark Le Brocq and Roderick Williams. This remarkable new production included circus scenes directed by Firenza Guidi, with performers from recent NoFit State productions. Death in Venice was well-received by audiences and went on to win the Sky Awards in the Opera category in September!
We kicked off our outdoor circus production BAMBOO in April, with a preview performance in St. Paul’s, Bristol to invited audiences. BAMBOO went on to tour to 27 locations across Britan and Europe, performing at festivals and reaching a total audience of 24,000!
In May, we returned to Bristol with our energizing and uplifting show SABOTAGE, marking the start of the SABOTAGE 2024 tour. This year, we took the show to Haverfordwest, Eastleigh, and wrapped up the UK tour in Brighton as part of the Brighton Festival’s extended summer program. SABOTAGE went on to perform as part of Winterfest in Salzburg and the Biennale Internationale des Arts du Cirque in Marseille!
On the community side of things, we embraced the power of bamboo, organizing numerous workshops, sessions, and activities within the local community. We integrated this flexible and sustainable material into our creative work, culminating in a summer festival, Gwyl Parc Fest – Bamboo. The festival celebrated local culture and community, exploring how we can all be inspired to create, play, and imagine using bamboo. The event featured music, circus performances, arts & crafts, bamboo artworks & installations, and performances from local artists and community groups from Splott, Tremorfa, and Adamsdown.
This is just a taster of our 2024 at NoFit State. To find out more, click below to see our Timeline Graphic of the Year’s Highlights—and we hope you can join us again as we journey through 2025!
