RA Lates: The Electric Forest & The Other Paradise
The Summer Solstice marks the longest day of the year.
Which, a brief mathematical calculation will prove, means it’s also the shortest night.
So it’s only right that you make the most of every minute at a cocktail-soaked, artistically-curated boutique festival running riot in an opulent 17th century mansion.
Welcome to the Royal Academy’s Summer Lates.
They’re running two events over the summer which promise to draw you into psychedelic, otherworldly spheres, with late-night disco in glitter-showered DJ tents, artistic installations to explore, and intimate performances from bards and troubadours.
And they’re going to go a little something like this…
THE ELECTRIC FOREST
Their June event coincides with the Summer solstice, and will draw you into a mysterious evening of pagan ritual. You’ll arrive to find the courtyard replaced with an enchanted woodland laced with an immersive soundscape; here you’ll find a nomadic yurt full of spiritual encounters, a troupe of Morris dancers surrounding a maypole, and botanical cocktails courtesy of Christabel. Inside the Academy, meanwhile, you’ll be able to join in with singalong screenings of The Wicker Man, watch ‘liquid psychedelic light shows’, take part in neon witchy life drawing or UV body painting, or sit and space out to abstract folk chamber music in an ornate gilded ballroom.
THE OTHER PARADISE
Return two months later, and the evening will be focussed on interpretations of Eden and the underworld – with an immersive journey through Paradise Lost, paper-cutting in a theatrical cabinet of curiosities and thought-provoking discussions in their literary, artistic and scientific salons. You’ll be expected to dust off your best ‘otherwordly sublime’ gladrags as you sip on ethereal libations and mingle with utopian creatures.
And of course, both events gain you after-hours access to their Summer Exhibition, renowned as a preeminent platform for the finest up and coming artists…
Good job the night’s so long.
NOTE: Tickets (£45) are now available for both The Electric Forest (17th June) and The Other Paradise (19th August), which both run from 7-11.45pm. There is a discount when booking for both events; find out more here. And of course, Nudge Members should log in to their benefits page for a little something special.
RA Lates | Royal Academy, Burlington House, W1J 0BD
Photo credit: Carolina Faruolo