Politicians are selfish comedians constantly fooling us.

But we the people are much better clowns!
Climb off the stage, flood the streets!
BANGS WILL TAKE OVER AMSTERDAM!

Amsterdam BANGS is a politically charged joyride taking place all over Amsterdam during September 19th to 21st. Get ready for a BANGING theatre and performance festival, organised by anarchists, artists, and activists, to take over not just traditional venues, not just the squats, not just the streets, not just your local Albert Heijn, not just your ING help desk but even your own home. BANGS is non-hierarchically and self-organised: anyone can propose their show, wherever they want, create any workshop or performance, so long as it’s non-commercial and BANGING. Stages are kept behind gates, giving space only to certain voices. We want Amsterdam to be our stage and hear the voices of many! We wish for soft, loud, ludicrous, experimental performance art and activism to take over the city and shake it up! Have the city become our playground.

What does it mean to be BANGING? We wish for BANGS to breathe new life into political movements standing for alternative/radical social and ecological justice struggles (queer-trans-feminist, anarchist, squatting movement, anti-fascist, anti-colonial, anti-racist, anti-capitalist…), as well as opening up Amsterdam to any kind of (experimental and radical) performative arts, taking place freely and collaboratively all around the city. The acts do not have to adhere to any specific political content. They can be organised as a benefit or not. You are free to act as you please.

For this festival, we want to relearn listening to each other and we want to become a benevolent audience. We want to practice being uncomfortable, being joyful, being connected to each other. A festival free of hierarchy and full of trust! Neither commercialized nor alienating! We want to see neighbours, workers, students, mothers, their children, their teachers, the people who sell us our groceries, and those wearing balaclavas at protests, your grandpa and his dog, the accordion player from the corner and the kids jumping off the train getting together in carnival.

Because we are infinitely curious about all stories and all dreams, we want to make space and create access for each other to share them. Uncover the links in-between, shape community and world building in small or big BANGS.

The city is ours! Put on your most flamboyant fashions, clown couture, and celebrate the spells of wicked witchcraft in this time of carnival!

Feeling inspired? Email us at info@amsterdambangs.nl to be a volunteer or for any questions or propose your own show, performance, or workshop right now!

Beware: Deviance At Play!