WEEK ONE
We begin by taking you behind the curtain. This first week offers a sneak peek into the creative worlds of some of the artists who have taken part in Freedom Festival over the years.
Discover how artists develop work for the streets, what inspires their performances, and how their ideas come together. From early concepts to rehearsals and the moments before stepping into the spotlight, this is a chance to see what happens when the stage lights fade and the real creative process begins. It’s also a chance to experience some of the great works from the festival in new and exciting ways.
Get your behind the scenes and explore some of the works in new spaces.
Charles Brockbank
Street circus performer Charles Brockbank was a stand-out crowd favourite at Freedom Festival 2025 with his show 'Grey Area'. Take a look at this short film of the development of his show.
Grey Area is a street performance by Charles Brockbank, blending juggling, parkour, and clowning to reimagine the overlooked ‘grey zones’ of the urban landscape. This is a playful yet thoughtful response to the spaces we often move through without noticing. Created through a neurodivergent lens, Grey Area invites audiences to reconsider their relationship with the built environment — to pause, look again, and find moments of connection in the in-between.
Charles is a performance-maker and street artist whose practice is rooted in physical theatre, movement, and embodied exploration. His work often engages directly with public space and passers-by, creating gentle disruptions that offer alternative ways of experiencing the everyday. With Grey Area, he continues his exploration of how bodies and buildings interact and how a playful presence can quietly shift the atmosphere of a place. Grey Area doesn’t announce itself loudly. Instead, it unfolds in passing — surprising, disarming, and gently subversive. Rooted in Charles’s experience as a neurodivergent artist, the work follows instinct, sensory connection, and a deep responsiveness to space and audience.
At its heart, Grey Area is about presence: noticing the unnoticed, inviting play where it’s least expected, and bringing a splash of colour and curiosity to the concrete edges of city life.
Watch the video: Charles Brockbank's development process
Watch the video: ICHI 'Maru'
ICHI: MINI DOCUMENTARY
Featuring at both Freedom Festival and Freedom on Tour, ICHI from Nagoya in Japan, takes the notion of a one-man band to new limits, combining his quirky handmade instrument inventions (Stilt-bass, Kalilaphone, Balloon-pipes, Hatbox-pedal-drum, Tapumpet, Percussion-shoes & Hat-trick-hat) with steel-drum, ping-pong balls, toys & everyday objects all in the space of one short set. Having toured as a solo artist in Japan, the UK and Europe, playing at festivals including Greenman, End of the Road, Boomtown, In The Woods, Great Escape, Camp Bestival and Glastonbury.
In this mini-documentary, ICHI takes us through the making of his album 'Maru'.
Copenhagen Collective
Watch the video series
Watch the video: Zwermers
ZWERMERS
At Freedom Festival 2024, Zwermers presented their thought-provoking piece, Pan ~// Catwalk, with two special shows performed with our local HEY! Volunteering volunteers. These volunteers not only dedicated their time to this incredible performance, but even brought and wore items from their own wardrobes! Watch the video now, created by the Zwermers team!
Welcome to English:
My Weekend
Welcome to English is a podcast series, created to give asylum seekers and refugees a space to be heard.
"Each week, we choose a different topic that is easy and comfortable for students to talk about. Sometimes the topics are everyday ones, like food, hobbies, or daily life. Other times, they are seasonal or local topics, such as Halloween, Hull Fair, or Christmas. The aim is always to choose subjects that feel familiar and enjoyable, so students feel confident sharing their ideas.
Each session is recorded during class. Sometimes I ask the students questions, sometimes they interview each other, and other times we create short stories or conversations together. After the session, I edit the recording, add music using an online platform, and turn it into a short podcast ready to share. "
Listen to the podcast here:
View/Download PDF
Broken Orchestra: Fair Winds & Following Seas
A commission between Freedom Festival, Hull Maritime, Arts Council England and In Situ; ‘Fair Winds & Following Seas’ was an exciting and innovative exploration into spatial audio, GPS technology, musical soundscapes, rich history and the vivid tapestry that is our imagination.
View or Download the PDF to explore the work.