Join us for the second year of the Festival of the Sea, on Saturday 16 July 2022 11am-5pm on the River Freshney waterfront, celebrating Grimsby’s relationship to the sea.
- Enjoy vibrant street theatre, live music and dance from talented local and national artists in the town centre during the day.
- Grab a bite to eat from food stalls which celebrate Grimsby’s links to the sea through its world-leading seafood sector.
- There’ll be activities for young people, families and friends, on site, or sign up for one of the walks to discover more about Grimsby’s heritage.
- View the Docks Timeline along the walkway from Garth Line Bridge towards the Fishing Heritage Centre and make time to visit the Ross Tiger if it’s been a while since you were last on board.
- Experience outdoor performance and explore our current connections to the new industries of the North Sea, home to the largest offshore wind farm in the world.
CastAway
HIGHLY SPRUNG
Drowning under a crushing mass of plastic, the Keeper of the Waterways awakens and rises up. It’s time for change.
Highly Sprung’s CastAway is a stunning outdoor performance that explores the impact of today’s throwaway society on our waterways. Featuring a unique gyroscopic flying machine, the show makes us feel like we are in an underwater world where performers dive, twist and float high in the air…to captivate audiences of all ages.
The Wave
CALF2COW
Cue water-fights, floor stomping, songs and slapstick mayhem!
The pirate ship, Wave Goodbye to Your Sanity, has been lost at sea for weeks, or perhaps years? Crewed by three buffoonish, broken, musical playing sailors, they need your help on a journey of incredible highs and sudden lows as they battle against the stormy seas.
Music, colour bombs, and lots of falling over! Join us aboard as we share a tale of isolation, love, loneliness and hysteria. A perfect party for kids big and small. Come along, bring your water gun and sing your heart out!
The Tide
TALAWA THEATRE
Unknown land, new arrivals, boarded doors and a suitcase full of hopes, dreams and aspirations. The Tide explores the stories and experiences of migration within the UK while reflecting back an evolving British culture.
The Tide is a Talawa Theatre Company, Greenwich+Docklands International Festival, and Breakin’ Convention co-production.
#TheTide
Mermaids
KITSCH N SYNC
Three mermaids have washed ashore, dancing in unison (despite their flippers) but losing their tempers easily…welcome to the surreal world of Babs, Stella and Bedraggled!
Octopus Ocean
CIRCO RUM BA BA
A life size octopus riding a tricycle can cover a lot of ground. Avoid being tickled by its eight tentacles or hope that the two aquabatic fish swim from the seaweed and come to your rescue. The shimmering fish love to entertain and show off their daring feats of aquabatics.
Deep Sea Divers
LARKIN’ ABOUT
Get under the sea with two stilt walking divers, whose only means of communication are hand signals and written wipe boards sending hilarious miscommunications. Keep an eye out for them inside their Victorian diving helmets, adorned with crustaceans and fish, and help them explore the waterfront.
The Admirable Admirals
RHUBARB THEATRE
Hoist the flag and shout Aye-aye! RhubarbTheatre’s Admirable Admirals will be dropping anchor at The Festival of the Sea. Nelly and Bones are here to bring their salty sea-dog songs to any unsuspecting passers-by. So hold onto your fancy hats, cause there’s a huge splash of hilarity heading into port near you!
Where do all the boats go?
ILLUMINATED FILM
The team behind the hit ITV children’s animation, The Rubbish World of Dave Spud, are working with young people from local colleges to explore how to create animation and voice-over in response to the question ‘Where do all the boats go?’.
Vessels can be seen daily sailing up and down the Humber estuary and this project will enable young people to understand how Grimsby is connected to the world using data from local marine industries, and their work will be shared at the festival and online.
Drifters*
JASON SINGH
Beatboxer and sound artist, Jason Singh, will perform a live vocal score to John Grierson’s silent black and white film Drifters from 1929, using beatboxing and vocal sculpting.
John Grierson was an influential Scottish documentary filmmaker, often considered the father of British documentary. Premiering in London alongside Battleship Potemkin in 1929, Drifters follows North Sea herring fisherman through their dramatic daily routines
Using techniques of pre-recorded vocal sequences, live vocals and sampling, Jason will conjure a sonic backdrop of ambient textures, experimental atmospheres and rhythms created solely by the use of the voice to accompany the film.
With thanks to the BFI and supported by the National Heritage Lottery Fund.
(*Subject to funding)
Future of the Seas
PROCESSION THROUGH TOWN
A gondola made from the flotsam and jetsam of modern life will sail through the town centre, accompanied by flocks of seabirds.
Seabirds Make and Take Tent
Children can get creative and make a seabird headdress, before taking part in the procession led by a giant sea god, and a live band.
