Dates and Theme for Folkestone Triennial 2025 revealed

Folkestone Triennial 2025 will take place from 19 July to 19 October 2025 bringing ambitious new commissions by leading UK and international artists to public spaces across this Kentish seaside town. Directed for the first time by Sorcha Carey, next year's Triennial will dig deep into the geology and geography of Folkstone, excavating the bedrock and boneheads which have shaped the origins of human settlement in the town. 

The themes for 2025 can now be shared. Experts trace the origins of the name Folkestone to ‘Folca’s stone’, referencing a stone which acted as a meeting point in the landscape for the wider community. The name Folkestone (Folcastan’) is attested as early as the 7th century AD, though the origins of human settlement on this spot date back to as early as 4000 BCE, when stone age people first began to settle and cultivate crops and animals.  Previous editions of Folkestone Triennial have focused on the histories and geographies of Folkestone in its heyday, from the early Victorian period through to the first and second world wars and more modern contemporary history.  This edition, yet to be named, will look even further into the past. 

Carey, who was previously the director of Edinburgh Art Festival and is now the Director of Collective explains: “In digging into the soil, I'm interested to think about how some of Folkestone's deep histories can offer a space to reflect on contemporary concerns: from migration to the climate crisis, from how we form communities to our relationship to landscape. To think of the deep past depends on a leap of the imagination.  The triennial invites artists to respond to the place and context of Folkestone, to reflect on human connections to and with the land, and out of the deep past to imagine new futures”

A full list of artists will be announced in Spring 2025 and will feature both established and emerging artists from across the UK and around the world. Each artist will respond to Folkestone; its landscape and its histories, to create new work that will inspire possible futures for the town. 

Main Image: Folkestone from above