Festival streets ahead to deliver top entertainment
Popular event part of a tourism drive by North Yorkshire Council aimed at bringing more visitors to Scarborough. Throughout the weekend there were a variety of street performances to keep locals and visitors enthralled.
The streets of Scarborough came to life at the weekend as a brand new festival brought puppetry, magic and live entertainmentto the town centre.
The three day Scarborough Streets festival was part of a tourism drive by North Yorkshire Council aimed at bringing more visitors to the town.
Throughout the weekend there were a variety of street performances, ranging from circus acts and puppetry to dance and theatre as the town’s streets were jampacked with entertainment.
Scarborough Streets was one of several high-profile events lined up for the town this year, as part of the Scarborough Fair Festival, including Scarborough Fringe in June and Scarborough Art which runs from the middle of June into early August.
Speaking prior to the event, North Yorkshire Council’s assistant director for culture and leisure, Jo Ireland, said: “Following on from Scarborough Lights, this latest event is part of our plan to place the town at the heart of the cultural and artistic calendar.
“It is about bringing the arts to the people and making them accessible for all. We have a wealth of talent in North Yorkshire and combining this with some of the best national and international acts will make for an unmissable experience.” The over-arching Scarborough Fair initiative, which takes its name from the event that was last held in the 18th century, is being revived as a year-round programme of arts, heritage, music and sports events and is expected to run until 2026. One of the organisations taking part in the festival was inkahoots!, a community interest company based in the town, who performed pieces created as part of The Brave Project, an initiative funded in part by the Children and Young People’s Dance Network North.
Director of inkahoots!, Clare Maxwell, said: “Scarborough has always been a hive of cultural activity without being acknowledged as such. Thanks to Scarborough Streets, we can now shout loudly and proudly about the creativity, artistry, talent and diversity that thrives in the town.”