BLOCK

NOVUM Festival 2026

7 - 9 august 2026

Newcastle City Centre

An outdoor dance-circus spectacle using giant moving blocks, acrobatics, and energetic physical theatre to deconstruct city life.

About BLOCK

An iconic outdoor dance-circus spectacular packed with daring acrobatics, gravity-defying leaps, and jaw-dropping physical theatre that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats.

Using twenty giant moving blocks resembling oversized Jenga pieces, a cast of extraordinary dancer-acrobats build, climb, balance, and transform an ever-changing cityscape before your eyes. As structures rise and collapse with split-second timing, BLOCK explores the chaos, connection, contradictions, and challenges of modern city life through thrilling movement and powerful visual storytelling.

Fast-paced, energetic, and visually spectacular, BLOCK is an unforgettable large-scale performance full of risk, rhythm, and remarkable human skill.

WHAT TO EXPECT

A lively festival atmosphere packed with large-scale performance, movement, and spectacle.
A thrilling outdoor dance-circus performance featuring seven extraordinary performers.
Jaw-dropping acrobatics, daring lifts, climbing, balancing, and fast-paced choreography using giant moving blocks.
Themes of connection, risk, teamwork, and the challenges of modern city life.
A visually spectacular performance designed to amaze audiences of all ages.

GOOD TO KNOW

Performance duration: approximately 40 minutes.
This is an outdoor event, so arriving early is recommended for the best viewing spot.
Audiences are free to come and go – stay for five minutes or experience the full show.
Suitable for all ages.
This is a sit/stand-and-watch style performance with audiences gathering around the performance space.
Audience participation is not required.
The performance uses dance, acrobatics, physical theatre, music, and visual storytelling with no spoken dialogue.
Expect loud music, high-energy movement, and thrilling large-scale spectacle throughout.