The event celebrates children’s books and stories
Outdoor fun at a previous Big Malarkey Festival in East Park(Image: Donna Clifford/HullLive)
A celebrated children’s literature festival is once again taking over part of Hull’s East Park and transforming it into “Malarkey Park”, as The Big Malarkey returns for a ninth year. The event is a celebration that sits alongside the UK National Year of Reading.
First established during Hull’s year as UK City of Culture 2017, this year’s Big Malarkey opened on Monday (June 15) with the James Reckitt Reading Conference, with an action-packed week of activities for schools following on, including the James Reckitt Hull Children’s Book Awards where children aged seven to 11 years meet authors and choose their favourite book in a live vote.
A bumper family-friendly festival weekend will take place on Saturday and Sunday, June 20 and 21, with a theme of It’s a Mystery! The event will celebrate children’s books and stories, filling the park with puzzles, collecting clues, dressing-up in disguises and exploring some of Hull’s best mysteries.
There will be lots of incredible authors, illustrators, dancers, musicians, artists and theatre companies to enjoy, including Michelle Robinson, Steve Webb, Sharna Jackson, Joseph Elliott, Liz Million, Mariesa Dulak, Kev F Sutherland, Fleur Hitchcock, Circo Rum Ba Ba, the Pauline Quirk Academy, Paul Cookson, Ben Rothery – and many more. The incredibly popular free Hook-a-Book stall will also return, with free books for everyone to take home.
Cllr Jackie Dad, deputy leader of Hull City Council and portfolio holder for culture, said: “The Big Malarkey is one of our most popular children’s events and continues to go from strength to strength.
“It is a festival not just about reading, but about ideas, imagination, creativity and performance. Whether visitors choose to complete a secret mission, produce some amazing artwork or join in with a Great Detective Adventure, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. The only limit is the imagination.”
The festival is an inclusive, relaxed event, accessible to people of all ages and abilities. All events in the Big Top are BSL interpreted.
Look out for accessible sessions with Concrete Youth, Drake Music and the Blue Badge Bunch. Free pocket-sized programmes are out and about in libraries and selected venues around the city, or can be viewed online to start planning your very own Big Malarkey Mystery.
Tickets can be purchased online or are available at all branches of Hull Libraries. Children must be accompanied by an adult; adults must be accompanied by a child.