Freedom Festival 2025 - Zone 1
Updated: Oct 21
Full Show and Schedule Information
Zone 1 is full of energy! From Ferensway to Queen Vic Square, this area features joyful performances, parades, and surprise moments across the weekend. It’s your go-to zone for bringing joy to the streets of Hull.
Note that times and venues are subject to change. Please check our social media or website before travelling to your venue.
You're invited to share family photos, stories and memories of women who worked on Hull’s factory production lines. Join photographer Lee Karen Stow as she uncovers the untold stories of the city’s remarkable female workforce—from the Canister Girls to the Imps, Fenners lasses and Sweetie Girls.
Beats Bus brings the energy of hip-hop to Freedom Festival with fun, empowering DJ and breakdance workshops. Young people can explore music, movement and self-expression in a supportive space, guided by expert mentors. Boost confidence, creativity and connection—right at the heart of the festival!
Join Sudanese artists Arafa and the Dirars for a creative ‘shift’ exploring factory life through art and storytelling. Open to women with factory experience or family ties. Help make a communal overall at Hull’s Makerspace. No experience needed – all skill levels welcome!
Refuse is a powerful dance performance following the perilous journey of six people seeking refuge. Drawing on the painting The Raft of the Medusa (1819), it highlights how those fleeing their homelands are often refused safety—and treated like refuse—in their search for a better life.
Hull Libraries celebrate Black British ballet dancers with workshops, storytimes and dance sessions mixing ballet, African and Caribbean styles. Kids can hear Onisere’s story, try ballet, and all can visit the Into the Light exhibition at Central Library with refreshments available.
Microworld is a free, family-friendly exhibition of immersive digital art. Discover vibrant creatures that react to your movements, explore sensory play zones, and get creative with interactive projections. Inspired by nature and science, this unique experience is fun for all ages!
A powerful procession celebrating diversity, unity and movement. Featuring a Giant Wheel powered by 5 dancers and a community cast, Parade blends striking visuals, choreography and moments of stillness to highlight the beauty of people coming together. From Autin Dance Theatre.
Time to Loop is a story of movement, change and love, where chaos meets harmony. Through balance, support and transformation, characters explore connection and the endless cycle of breaking, rebuilding and beginning again.
Possê is a vibrant street show reclaiming public space through percussion, dance, and voice. A burst of energy, unity, and hope, it invites connection and joy. Created by Sound de Secà, known for hybrid, socially-driven performances that fuse art, rhythm, and collective spirit.
Taroo blends Parkour, circus and comedy to tell everyday stories of street life worldwide. Created by Moroccan artist Said Mouhssine, it fuses acrobatics, Chinese pole and urban movement. The Human Flag explores balance between cultural weight and the unknown through contemporary circus.
The Genesis is a one-hour contemporary circus show by the Copenhagen Collective, exploring connection, resilience and unity. Seventeen world-class artists create visual poetry through bold group work, powerful female bases and gravity-defying male flyers in a celebration of diversity.
Mdme Kakapo & Son is a walkabout street show full of laughs and surprises for all ages. Bruce’s mystery boxes always deliver a big ‘WOW’ and even if this cheeky duo doesn’t steal your money, they’re sure to steal your heart.
+ is a shared ritual and creative meeting point where percussion, dance, voice and poetry collide. This interactive, nocturnal gathering invites communities to connect, celebrate difference and stand together against hate and individualism through powerful collective expression.
The Torch is a 60-minute burst of gig-theatre where rapper Kobby Taylor explores his bond with his grandfather and Afrobeat legend Ebo Taylor. With live remixes, synths by Vivek Santosh and harpist Stephanie Halsey, each scene becomes a track blending beats, bars and Afrobeat-inspired sound.
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