"If we could build an economy that would use things rather than use them up, we could build a future." — Dame Ellen MacArthur
Circular Futures is a creative process, a performance and a festival celebrating the transformative power of circular economies.
Over 200 performers will come together in an outdoor performance on the former taxiway of the Naval Air Station at Alameda Point. Between January and April 2027, the creative team will host rehearsals with community groups, dance professionals, student groups and public workshops to create small sections of movement for a massive dance installation. Each group will develop a short movement phrase based on a circular form, and those circles will be arranged across the space to create a movement tapestry spreading across the concrete expanse. Think of it as a community statement — a dynamic commitment to the kind of future we want to create for generations to come.
The performance will kick off a free, one-day festival bringing together music, art, and discovery in the same open, joyful spirit that has shaped West End Arts District’s festivals and climate arts programs over the last ten years. Visitors will have a chance to understand the basic concepts of circular economies and learn about companies and visionaries who are putting them into practice locally.
CIRCULAR FUTURES
What is a Circular Economy?
In our current economy, we take materials from the Earth, make products from them, and eventually throw them away as waste – the process is linear. In a circular economy, by contrast, we stop waste being produced in the first place. Products and materials are kept in circulation through processes like maintenance, reuse, refurbishment, remanufacture, recycling, and composting.
From the Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Inspired by this vision, West End Arts District is connecting with Bay Area experts, civic partners, artists, and community organizations to learn about the principles, impact, and potential of circular economies at both a local and global scale. Circular Futures is our way of sharing those learnings through the art of circles — movement circles, drum circles, creative reuse activities, and a free community celebration of the futures we can imagine and build together.
Circular Futures Festival
Join us at Radium Runway on the taxiway at Alameda Point on April 24, 2027 for a free day of arts, science and community. The festival will bring together performance, music, drum circles, upcycled art activities, hands-on learning, games, and community partner booths — offering joyful, accessible ways for people of all ages to explore how art, climate action, and everyday choices can help shape a more sustainable future.
Join Us as a Performer
Love to move, create, be part of something bigger than yourself? Join hundreds of movers and makers on the taxiway at Alameda Point in April 2027 for a large-scale community performance that celebrates circular thinking — reducing waste, and investing in regenerative systems. West End Arts District will host a series of free workshops across Alameda where participants of all ages and experience levels will create simple circular movement phrases. Together, these individual circles will be woven into one powerful community performance to open the Circular Futures Festival.