Larpocracy will join The Smoke in London on 8–10 January 2027, presenting three larps developed within the project: The Assembly, Sandleford, and the world premiere of Midsummer in Walden.
From a citizens’ assembly in a fictional Sweden to a mining community facing relocation and an imagined gathering at Walden Pond, these scenarios approach democracy through different settings and forms of participation. Together, they invite participants to explore how people deliberate, respond to collective decisions and negotiate the relationship between individual conscience and shared responsibility.
The Assembly
Saturday 9 January, 4 pm
By Sarah Lynne Bowman, Perola Öberg, Josephine Rydberg and Kjell Hedgard Hugaas
What does it take to listen carefully to someone whose political perspective differs from our own?
Set in a fictional version of Sweden, The Assembly brings together community members to deliberate on the legalisation of psilocybin. Participants explore tensions between bodily autonomy and public safety, ultimately developing collective guidelines for consideration at a forthcoming parliamentary session.
The scenario centres on articulating a position, listening deeply and building common understanding. Its emphasis is on practising skills that support democratic participation, with the policy question providing a setting for encounters across different experiences and convictions.
Sandleford
Sunday 10 January, 11 am
By Jon Back, Fuoco Balduzzi, Annika Waern and Weronika Szatkowska
The mine made the town, and the town made the mine. Now, after more than a century of shared growth, mining has undermined parts of Sandleford, and the town must relocate.
The democratic decision has already been made when play begins. Some residents welcome it; others oppose it or regard it as a necessary sacrifice. Against this backdrop, a group of regular pub quiz teammates gathers for its weekly meeting.
Sandleford explores the everyday consequences of collective decisions. Through the residents’ conversations, participants consider how people resist, adapt and sustain relationships when a democratically determined outcome divides their community.
Midsummer in Walden: A Larp about Democracy and Renewal
World premiere · Sunday 10 January, 4 pm
By Sarah Lynne Bowman, Antonio Casado Da Rocha and Brent A. Ferguson
“I had several more lives to live”
— Henry David Thoreau, Walden, “Conclusion”
At Walden Pond in the summer of 1847, Henry David Thoreau is considering whether his experiment in living has fulfilled its purpose. Before deciding whether to leave, he invites friends from Concord to a midsummer gathering.
This historically inspired scenario imagines encounters among literary and intellectual figures including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, Louisa May Alcott and Walt Whitman. Across scenes spanning several days, participants explore spirituality, ecology, social responsibility and the purpose of life.
Discussion is accompanied by guided meditation, embodied flashbacks and live improvisational music inspired by the Romantic period. The scenario also addresses class, racial and ethnic oppression, gender roles and non-traditional relationships, placing questions of personal renewal within the inequalities and political tensions of antebellum America.
Its imagined gathering invites reflection on how individual choices relate to collective responsibility—and how these tensions resonate across the past, present and future of American democracy.
Join us in London
The three larps offer opportunities to explore democracy through deliberation, everyday relationships and embodied encounters. We look forward to sharing them with participants at The Smoke.
Festival dates: 8–10 January 2027
Venue: Theatre Deli, Building 3, Moretown, London E1W 1YW
Session times: All times listed are London local time.
Visit The Smoke website for festival and ticket information.