Freedom Festival hoping to draw crowds

Entertainment seekers will be spoilt for choice as the Freedom Festival gets under way in earnest in Hull today.

Organisers are hoping that shunning pop music and adopting a mixed arts programme will still have the popular appeal that has seen 100,000 people flock into the city in previous years.

The four main elements are cabaret and comedy at the City Hall; arts performances in Queen Victoria Square; family entertainment, an open air cinema and giant inflatable in Queens Gardens with bands, world music and dance in the Fruit Market area.

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In total about 500 people will be performing in 24 different performance areas.

People will be able to explore a 160ft-long giant inflatable installation in Queens Gardens called Mirazozo, which has already made appearances at Sydney Opera House, Segovia in Spain and most recently the Edinburgh Festival.

Yesterday, the park was a hive of activity as the mass of silver plastic was blown up and transformed into a huge shining structure of domes and tunnels.

Exhibition manager Jon Gatt is expecting around 1,200 people to have a look round Mirazozo, which is open from 4.30pm today.

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Mr Gatt said: “From what can be seen on the outside people have no expectation of what it is going to be like on the inside. People often make the comment that it’s like the Tardis, it is just extremely colourful.

“It is family entertainment – we are accessible to everybody from small babies to 80-year-olds and wheelchair users. You may be in the city centre of Hull, but once you come in you could be anywhere in the world.”

The modular structure, made out of thin but strong PVC, is zipped together and blown up.

For the second night running, French street-theatre company Luc Amoros will be performing their Page Blanche show in Queen Victoria Square.

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Described as a spectacular combination of art, dance and music creating large paintings reflecting the mood of the day live in front of an audience, the performances take place between 9.45pm and 11pm.

Tonight at City Hall, comedy legend Arthur Smith will host Freedom to Laugh, which features a stellar line-up including TV illusionist Ali Cook, comedy duo Frisky and Mannish and Australian act Briefs.

Tomorrow night The Improv All-Stars will feature comedians Steve Steen, Andy Smart, Steve Frost and special guest Josie Lawrence. Tickets are still available for both shows. Events are free apart from Mirazozo, which costs £3, and those at City Hall.

About 3,000 pints of a new brew called Freedom Ale has been created by local brewery Great Newsome Brewery which will be served at various pop-up bars around the festival, as well as at Fruit in Humber Street.