Festival on Tour will visit Goole and Bridlington alongside the main event in Hull city centre
SENESCENCE by Camiel Corneille – Korzo Theater & The Future is Now (Image: Dorien Hein)
The Freedom Festival 2026 will stop at two East Yorkshire towns, bringing its programme of arts events on tour before its main event in Hull. Bridlington and Goole will be two of the stops for the touring festival, which will bring a vibrant programme of outdoor arts to Grimsby before heading to the two East Yorkshire towns as well as Tadcaster in North Yorkshire.
This year’s festival explores the theme of Peace and will stop at West Park in Goole on Tuesday, September 1 and The Spa in Bridlington on Friday, September 4. It has become a staple in the arts festival calendar in the north of England and is preparing a touring programme that invites audiences “to experience what peace can look and feel like today”, festival organisers say. The tour will culminate in a weekend of events in Hull city centre from Thursday 3 to Sunday, September 6. There will be installations, street theatre and performance, inviting audiences to connect through entertainment, creativity and shared humanity.
This is the fourth year that the event has gone on tour, and will kick off this year in Grimsby on Bank Holiday Monday, August 31. It will then head to Goole, Tadcaster and Bridlington in the lead-up to the main festival weekend. Audiences can expect a mix of circus, dance and street theatre.
Freedom Festival Arts Trust says the tour forms part of its “ongoing commitment to increasing access to high-quality cultural experiences and building creative opportunities beyond Hull”.
Phil Hargreaves, festival director, said: “Freedom On Tour is about making sure more people can experience the energy and creativity of the festival, right on their doorstep. By working in partnership with organisations across the region, we’re able to bring world-class outdoor work into everyday spaces, creating shared moments of joy, surprise and connection ahead of the main festival weekend.”
Across the four locations, audiences can expect the gravity-defying Spinsane by Racehorse Company, the playful and imaginative Lilliput by Tombs Creatius, and the striking physicality of Otempodiz by ERTZA. Each location will feature a slightly different line-up, which means festival goers can explore each destination and experience something different.
Freedom On Tour 2026 dates and locations:
Grimsby – People’s Park Monday, August 31, 11am – 5pm (timings subject to change) Featuring: Senescence, The World Wanderer, Otempodiz, Lilliput
Goole – West Park Tuesday, September 1, 11am – 5pm (timings subject to change) Featuring: Spinsane, Senescence, The World Wanderer, Otempodiz, Lilliput
Tadcaster – The Barn Thursday, September 3, 11am – 5pm (timings subject to change) Featuring: RO-TES–រទេះ, Senescence, Acrobot, Otempodiz, Lilliput
Bridlington – The Spa Friday, September 4, 11am – 5pm (timings subject to change) Featuring: Spinsane, Acrobot, The World Wanderer, Beyond, Lilliput
Freedom Festival 2026 will take place in Hull from Thursday 3 to Sunday, September 6, featuring over 100 experiences from 32 companies across 9 countries.
Full programme details for both Freedom On Tour and the main festival are available here.
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