London International Mime Festival (LIMF) is an established, annual festival of contemporary visual theatre. Essentially wordless and multi-disciplinary, its programme embraces circus-theatre, puppetry/animation, object theatre, mime, live art and physical theatre.

Founded in 1977 at the Cockpit Theatre as a one-off event to showcase the work of British mimes, theatre clowns and other physical and visual theatre artists, the festival rapidly grew in scale, quality and reputation. Since that start in one small theatre, LIMF has used more than thirty London venues – from Tate Modern, a private house and West End theatres, to the Royal Opera House, Almeida, Barbican, ICA, Sadler’s Wells and Southbank Centre. To date, the festival has presented over 800 productions over its 46-year history.

LIMF assists in the creation and presentation of excellent, innovative non text-based theatre that is new to London. Most shows are UK premieres. It works with young, up and coming artists as well as established companies. 

LIMF has an international reputation and is the UK’s longest established annual, international theatre festival. In recent years the festival’s productions and its two directors have received various honours and awards, most notably three Olivier Award nominations including winner of Best New Dance Production in 2015 (Peeping Tom’s 32 Rue Vandenbranden at The Barbican), a Total Theatre lifetime achievement award and most recently the 2017 Empty Space – Peter Brook Special Achievement Award.