The Big Malarkey Festival 2025

The Big Malarkey Festival 2025

The Big Malarkey Festival is Hull’s first ever children’s literature festival, brought to you by Hull Libraries and funded by the James Reckitt Library Trust and Arts Council England.

The Big Malarkey Festival is a celebration of children’s literature for everyone aged 0 – 16 years.

Four days of activities for schools (23-26 June) and a glorious weekend of fun for families (28-29 June) brought to you by Hull Libraries.

The Festival includes amazing artists, authors, illustrators, performers, poets, writers, musicians, makers, dancers and dreamers!

More details coming soon.

Back to Ours & Friends At Willows

Join us for a night in the Willows with some of our favourite stars!

Friday, 2 February
Willows Social Club, 697 Holderness Rd, Hull, HU8 9AN
Tickets £5 per person

Cris Quammie’s Soul Sensation
Beebi Del as Dolly Parton
Grim Visions Fire & Theatre
+ other guests

Don’t forget to bring your dancing shoes!

Useful Info:

This event is for 18+ only.
Parking is available at Willows Club.
The venue is wheelchair accessible. Essential companions and carers supporting an attendee during the event are eligible for a complimentary ticket; please email team@backtoours.co.uk to arrange.

Million Dollar Men

It’s raining men and you’re all going to be shouting Hallelujah! by the end of the night.

This powerful show has everything you need for the ultimate ladies night out.

Great dancing, fun interaction and all the action of the smash hit film Magic Mike!

Diasporas Now

Performance art platform Diasporas Now announces the next stop of their 2023-2024 U.K. tour at Humber Street Gallery in Hull.

The line-up includes features performances by artists of colour Nadeem Din-Gabisi, Sattva, Bakani Pick-Up Company, Gisou Golshani, James Jordan Johnson, DJ Winggold, Collectif Echoes spanning performance art, dance, live music, and DJ sets embodying themes of ancestral land, sea and liberation.

The Diasporas Now U.K. Tour 2023-2024 is supported by the Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grant.

Message in a Bottle (Screening)

A Sadler’s Wells and Universal Music UK Production.

The peaceful village of Bebko is alive with joyous celebrations. Suddenly, under attack, everything changes forever. Three siblings, Leto, Mati and Tana, must embark on perilous journeys in order to survive.

Message In A Bottle is a spectacular new dance-theatre show from five-time Olivier Award nominee, Kate Prince, inspired by and set to the iconic hits of 17-time Grammy Award-winning artist Sting, including Every Breath You Take, Roxanne, Walking On The Moon and more. With a mix of exhilarating dance styles, high-energy footwork and breath-taking athleticism, Message In A Bottle tells a unifying and uplifting story of humanity and hope.

Message In A Bottle is the latest masterpiece from the ground-breaking creator behind West End hits Some Like it Hip Hop, Into the Hoods, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (choreography) and SYLVIA (Old Vic), and features the astonishing talents of dance storytelling powerhouse, ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company.

Dance 23!

Butterfly dance studios from Goole present DANCE 23! The talented pupils showcase various dance numbers, including street, ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary, rock n roll, freestyle and musical theatre.

Dancers of all ages will delight audiences with this feel good, action packed, entertaining dance show.

Not to be missed for anyone with a passion for dance.

Belinda! The Dance show!

Belinda! The Dance show! Join us for some dancing, singing and a whole load of fun.

Featuring Belinda, Mrs Punchem, Miss Treacle and lots more!

Featuring students ages 5 to 11!

Christmas End of Year Showcase

Singing lessons Hull presents our Christmas end of year showcase at Middleton Hall.

Please join us on the 3rd of December at 3pm for an afternoon of amazing talent from Hull and surrounding areas.

Expect to see outstanding talent of all ages from students of ‘Singing lessons Hull. Dancing from’ Skelton Hooper School of Dance’ and other local talent and choirs.

An Evening of Burlesque

Direct from London’s West End.

A night of laughter, cabaret, mystery, and glamour!

Roll up, roll up. . . a scintillating night out of sparkling entertainment – the UK’s longest running burlesque show – is back touring the nation. And, it’s bigger than ever.

Join us for the good old-fashioned night out as we bring you the ultimate variety show, blending stylish cabaret, comedy, music, circus and burlesque to light up all your senses.

With world-class entertainers and stars of the stage and screen – prepare for an extravaganza of glitz and glamour! Expect fun, feathers and fabulous costumes as we pick from the finest selection of specialty artistes, cabaret and circus stars, comedians and champagne showgirls! It’s the perfect night for everyone.

An Evening of Burlesque is filled with artistic spectacle that has enraptured audiences for centuries. This sensational variety show brings together a bounty of beautiful stars for an unrivalled variety show for the 21st Century. Expect the unexpected with plenty of glitter and glamour! It’s cocktails and cabaret o’clock!

Content is subject to change.

Johannes Radebe: House of Jojo

A new story begins…Welcome to the HOUSE OF JOJO.

Join TV Dance Sensation Johannes Radebe and a host of eclectic characters in this brand-new theatrical celebration jam-packed with roof-raising music, dazzling costumes and of course,
world class dance.

The doors to the HOUSE OF JOJO are open – and you are invited.

Andalucia – Flamenco

The award-winning Daniel Martinez Flamenco Company presents its long-awaited 2nd production Andalucia, a stunning flamenco production accompanied by a chamber orchestra.

This extra special concert is a musical representation of the 8 regions that make up the autonomous community of Andalucia in the South of Spain, the birthplace of flamenco; Cordoba, Sevilla, Cadiz, Malaga, Jaen, Granada, Huelva and Almeria. Each region has their own distinct take on the very many diverse styles that make up flamenco and these will be beautifully presented to the audience through Daniel’s guitar, and accompanied by an array of flamenco musicians, singers, a chamber orchestra ensemble and flamenco dance.

Unique, Innovative, Spellbinding and where the stunning beauty of classical music meets the passion and fire of flamenco. An unmissable flamenco experience!

Lord of the Dance – A Lifetime of Standing Ovations

The world-renowned Lord of the Dance is poised to make an exhilarating return to Hull.

After celebrating the 25th anniversary of Lord of the Dance in 2022, Michael Flatley is back with a dazzling revival of his iconic dance extravaganza.

Lord of the Dance, a production that has enchanted more than 60 million people in 60 countries on every continent and graced more than 1000 venues, is a testament to Michael Flatley’s creative brilliance. It has left an indelible mark on the world of dance, solidifying its status as one of the most successful productions in the history of entertainment.

Creative Voice: Youth Arts Festival

Creative Voice Youth Arts Festival 2023 is happening this half-term!

If you are aged 13+ come along to find out more about the creativity of young people in the city and take part in free workshops in DJing, sustainable fashion, dance, theatre, circus skills and more, along with conversations around arts and mental health.

FRIDAY 3 NOVEMBER

12pm

Exhibition Launch – ‘What Makes You Happy?’

3D-printed exhibition with augmented reality by artist Anna Bean and young people from Astra

and Ainthorpe Youth Centres, This Ability Goodwin Trust, Artlink Explorers Young People in

Care Project and NICE.

12.30-3.30pm

Fun, drop-in workshops including wearable art and sustainable fashion, screenprinting, drama,

contemporary dance, Hull Zine Library, songwriting, circus skills and more.

6-9pm

Young People’s Performance Sharing with a focus on drama and dance. Performances from

professional dance company LOOP with JoinedUp Dance Company Young Contemporaries,

Ainthorpe Youth Centre, Pragnya Indian Dance, Max Life Dance Company, Wolfpack Theatre,

Freedom Road Creative Arts, and Youth Aspire Connect.

SATURDAY 4 NOVEMBER

12pm

Panel discussion with young people, NHS support workers, and creatives in Hull on the

Importance of arts in supporting mental health.

12.30-3.30pm

Fun, drop-in workshops including wearable art and sustainable fashion, screenprinting,

Afrobeats dance, DJ Mixing, music studio, Hull Zine Library, street theatre and more.

4-6pm

Screening of films and animations made by young people and local artists and filmmakers

about issues that are important to them around art and mental health.

6-9pm

Young People’s Performance Sharing with a focus on music. Performances from Music Lab,

Freedom Road Creative Arts, Layman and Noble, Young Women’s DJ Group and

Humber Drum Circles.

Creative Voice is a youth arts initiative led by Hull City Council Arts Development and

Youth Development Service in partnership with Artlink and Hull Dance, who are supporting

the dance elements of the Festival with their Move Together programme. Supported by the Smile Foundation I AM Fund and Youth Arts Takeover.

São Paulo Dance Company

Dance consortium presents

SÃO PAULO DANCE COMPANY

Brazil’s finest dance company make their highly anticipated UK and Irish debut.

Fusing the elegance of classical ballet with the sensuality of Latin American dance, this ‘sleek, sexy and highly technical’ (The New Yorker) company of virtuoso dancers present a rich programme of work from three choreographers rooted in Latin American or Spanish culture.

Goyo Montero (resident choreographer with Carlos Acosta’s company Acosta Danza) explores the idea of collective identities in Anthem, an epic and emotionally charged ensemble piece for 14 dancers, beautifully staged with dramatic lighting.

Gnawa, by Nacho Duato (Artistic Director of the Berlin State Ballet), draws on the Mediterranean colours and flavours of Valencia, powered by the hypnotic, ritualistic music of North Africa.

Brazilian choreographer Cassi Abranches’ colourful and flirtatious Agora provides an exhilarating finale. Exploring time and rhythm, she sculpts the movement of each dancer’s body with the percussive beats and bass grooves of Afro-Brazilian fusion.

‘Passionate and energetic, São Paulo Dance Company combine international classical technique, fluidity and Brazilian swing’ –

Villes de Cannes, France.

‘The best dance company in Brazil’ – Dancing Times

Burlesque Charity Event

Join Connexin Live for an unforgettable night of glamour, entertainment and heartfelt giving at the Black Tie Burlesque Charity Event!

Experience an enchanting evening like no other, all in support of a noble cause; Dove House Hospice. This is your chance to make a difference while indulging in a night of fabulous entertainment and fine dining.

Prepare to be dazzled by dance performances that will leave you spellbound. The talented burlesque dancers will captivate you with their elegance, and alluring moves, while The Hull Monty lads will have you cheering for more with their humorous strip routine.

Dance in Company Launch Night

Member of Absolutely Cultured’s INTER_CHANGE programme, dance artist and choreographer Holly Gibbs is launching a community dance company that will create accessible opportunities across the city of Hull.

Expect a night of performances from company members, young dancers and community participants. Followed by music, drinks and more dancing of course!