Press room

The Barbican announces Dirty Weekend – a bold, immersive celebration of fashion, rebellion, and radical self-expression. Inspired by the major new exhibition Dirty Looks, this weekend-long takeover pushes ideas of sex, sweat, protest, and pleasure to the forefront through performances, talks, screenings, live art, and late-night club energy. Blending fashion and filth with unapologetic joy, Dirty Weekend invites audiences to revel in the power of style, body, and community.

Susanna Davies-Crook, Curator of Public Programmes at the Barbican, said: “Dirty Weekend transforms the Barbican into a space for connection and community, where fashion, art, and desire come together to spark conversations on identity, subculture, self- definition and resistance. With newly commissioned live performances from some of the most exciting designers pushing the boundaries of fashion, alongside curated talks, screenings, workshops and club nights, this weekend is an open invitation to explore the body and the way we inhabit and express ourselves in relation to it, in all its glorious forms. We want to welcome new voices in a shared, vibrant celebration of creativity, and artistic freedom – and underpin the urgency of shared advocacy around bodily autonomy and sexual liberation”.

Dirty Weekend is part of the Barbican’s autumn season, marking a new chapter in fashion programming. The season also features Dirty Looks: Desire and Decay in Fashion, the major exhibition at Barbican Art Gallery running until 25 January 2026.