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Free festival to bring 'world-class' acts to towns

Paul JohnsonEast Yorkshire and Lincolnshire
News imageIsabelle la Poutre A group of six performers hold up a ladder as one stands at the top and another dangles from it. They are watched by an audience sitting on a stand under a blue sky.Isabelle la Poutre
Beyond features circus performers, acrobats and dancers

A major arts festival will spread its wings to more towns this summer.

The Freedom Festival will be held in Hull from 3 to 6 September, but will also stage free events in Grimsby, Goole, Tadcaster and Bridlington between 31 August and 4 September.

They will include a "gravity-defying" act called Spinsane, which involves acrobats in a "wheel of death", and a family experience called Lilliput, where children can recreate classic stories.

Director Phil Hargreaves said the tour would allow more people to "experience the energy and creativity of the festival" by bringing "world-class outdoor work" into towns.

He added: "You can come as a family, you can see the programme, you can have picnics in some of the parks, or you can enjoy the local areas.

"It's not just sitting and viewing, there'll be interactive games and things to do."

News imageFreedom Festival A man wearing a green shirt smiles as he holds a bizarre-looking robotic device which has fake hands and feet attached to a black and yellow motorFreedom Festival
Acrobot features robotics mixed with juggling, acrobatics and storytelling

The Freedom Festival, which is in its 19th year, is known for bringing striking installations and large-scale street theatre to Hull city centre.

This is the fourth year it has sent some shows out on tour.

Other events due to be staged include a dance show called Otempodiz and a circus performance called Senescence, in which an artist inhabits a large steel ball.

Hargreaves said he hoped people who enjoyed the shows would consider travelling to Hull for the main festival programme, which will include a large-scale nighttime circus spectacular.

News imageDorien Hein A topless man, wearing white shorts, stands inside a large ball made of steel hoops. He is striking an acrobatic pose. The ball is on a stage in a darkened room with people watching from all sides.Dorien Hein
A circus performance called Senescence is among the touring events

Each location will feature a slightly different line-up:

  • People's Park, Grimsby, 31 August, 11:00 to 17:00 BST, featuring Senescence, the World Wanderer, Otempodiz, Lilliput
  • West Park, Goole, 1 September, 11:00 to 17:00, featuring Spinsane, Senescence, the World Wanderer, Otempodiz, Lilliput
  • The Barn, Tadcaster, 3 September, 11:00 to 17:00, featuring RO-TES, Senescence, Acrobot, Otempodiz, Lilliput
  • The Spa, Bridlington, 4 September, 11:00 to 17:00, featuring Spinsane, Acrobot, the World Wanderer, Beyond, Lilliput

Full details of the main festival in Hull, which is due to feature more than 100 events, can be found on the Freedom Festival website.

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