Freedom Festival, Hull facts for kids

L'Homme Debout at the 2018 festival

The Freedom Festival is a super fun yearly event in Kingston upon Hull, England. It's a big party celebrating music, dance, art, and street performances! People from all over Europe come to enjoy the shows. The festival is named after William Wilberforce, a famous person from Hull who worked hard to stop the slave trade. The festival started in 2007 to remember the 200th anniversary of a law he helped pass. This law made the slave trade illegal in the British Empire.

Over the years, many cool acts have performed, like Pixie Lott, JLS, The Saturdays, and The 1975. Lots of local bands and artists also get to show their talent. Since 2013, a charity called the Freedom Festival Arts Trust has organized the event. Their main goal is to help people learn about and enjoy the arts.

Freedom Festival Through the Years

2008 Festival Fun

The first Freedom Festival happened in the summer of 2008. The main stage was in Queen's Gardens in the city center. There were also smaller stages in Queen Victoria Square and Trinity Square. The main band that year was The Magic Numbers.

2009: Bigger and Better

The festival grew a lot in 2009! It happened at the same time as the start of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race from the Hull Marina. About 150,000 people came to enjoy the events. A French art group called Carabosse put on an amazing fire show. It lit up the old fruit market area and the Humber waterfront.

Many popular music acts performed on different stages. These included Peter Andre, Florence and the Machine, JLS, Pixie Lott, Foals, and Grooverider.

• Queen's Gardens: Live music and activities all weekend.
• Humber Quays: Pop acts on Saturday and the start of the Clipper Race on Sunday.
• Jazz in the Boatshed: Hull's popular Jazz festival was part of the fun.
• Queen Victoria Square: You could watch the BBC's Last Night of the Proms live.
• Fruit Market: French artists created fiery displays with music.

On Saturday night, there was a huge firework show. The famous Red Arrows also flew over the Marina on Sunday.

2010: Giant Inflatable Monsters

The third festival in 2010 had a fantastic main event. A French art group called Plasticiens Volants brought huge inflatable monsters! These giant creatures paraded through the city. The artists said they were inspired by large fiberglass toads. These toads had been placed around Hull to celebrate the poet Philip Larkin.

The festival also featured many artists, comedians, and musicians. Bands like Foals, The Saturdays, Alesha Dixon, The Wanted, and McFly performed. Local bands also played in the marina and Fruit Market areas.

2011: Focus on Local Talent

In 2011, the festival lasted four days instead of three. This year, the organizers decided to feature more local acts. They moved away from the really big pop stars like JLS and The Saturdays. This helped the festival appeal to more people. About 75,000 people came to enjoy the music, dance, and comedy. The Arts Council helped fund the festival with £100,000.

2012: A Spectacular Mix

The fifth Freedom Festival took place in September 2012. It was described as a "spectacular mix of events." The festival offered street theatre, cabaret, dance, comedy, and live music. The main music act that year was Martha Reeves and the Vandellas.

2013: Supporting City of Culture

The 2013 festival saw over 80,000 people attend. This year, the festival also supported Hull's bid to become the UK City of Culture in 2017. The event started with a torchlight parade of over 600 local people. It ended with a performance of Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I Have A Dream" speech.

The band The 1975 was a main act, along with Akala and comedian Lucy Beaumont. French street theatre group Transe Express also performed. There was lots of local music, too, from bands like The Talks and Felony.

Craig Charles even recorded his BBC Radio 6 Soul and Funk Show live from the festival! There was also an exhibition called Ziggy. It showed never-before-seen photos of David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and fan items from the 1970s. It included photos of Hull-born musician Mick Ronson.

2014: The Long Walk to Freedom

The 2014 festival started with 'The Long Walk to Freedom' Light Trail. This trail went through Hull's Old Town. It featured art by local artists inspired by Nelson Mandela. Street performers called Spark also took part. An estimated 115,000 people attended the festival.

2015: Voices of Freedom

The theme for the 2015 festival was 'Broadcast'. On the first night, there was a special choral performance called 'Voices of Freedom' over the River Hull. Around 114,200 people came to the festival that year.

2016 Festival

The 2016 Freedom Festival took place from September 2nd to September 4th.

2017: Part of City of Culture

In 2017, the Freedom Festival was an important part of the Hull UK City of Culture 2017 celebrations. Kofi Annan, who used to be the head of the United Nations, received the Wilberforce Medallion at the festival.

2018 Festival

The 2018 Freedom Festival happened at the end of August. About 130,000 people came to enjoy the event.

2019: Five Days of Fun

The 2019 Freedom Festival was extended to a five-day event, lasting from August 28th to September 1st.

2020: Online Event

The 2020 festival was planned for early September. However, it had to be cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, an online event called "Freedom At Home" took its place.

2022: Mo and the Red Ribbon

In 2022, the festival ran for ten days, starting on August 26th. The main event was "Mo and the Red Ribbon." This show featured a parade of huge puppets by the French company L’Homme Debout. It was performed on September 2nd.