The programme for this year’s Big Malarkey has been announced – with the help of a giant hippo.
This year’s festival includes award-winning children’s authors Caroline Lawrence, who wrote the Roman mysteries series, and Lisa Williamson, who wrote The Art of Being Normal.
Illustrator Nick Sharratt is also in the line-up, while actor Simon Callow will narrate Roald Dahl’s Dirty Beasts in the festival’s Sunday finale.
Local artists include Joe Hakim, Mambo Jambo, Cassandra Parkin, The Herd, Hull Truck Theatre, Camille Malaawy and Hull Freedom Chorus.
And Hull’s very own children’s author, Phil Earle, is the festival’s Writer in Residence for the weekend.
The Big Malarkey Festival runs from Wednesday 26 to Sunday 30 June in East Park, Hull.
A giant hippo promoted the festival through the streets of Hull today, with children invited to make a new four-legged friend – and even brush its teeth.
New for this year is an exhibition on the history of writing, called Make Your Mark, and a marquee run by Hull: Yorkshire’s Maritime City where children can meet characters from the city’s maritime past.
The festival has been awarded funding for the next two years from Arts Council England and the James Reckitt Library Trust.
Marjorie Brabazon, chair of Hull Culture and Leisure, said: “Join the Library, see the world! is our theme for 2019 as we invite children and families to use their library card to unlock all kinds of worlds through the books and services that Hull Libraries offer. From giant hippos to curious creations of all shapes and sizes, The Big Malarkey Festival gives them an exciting glimpse into this world as we bring well-loved stories to life.”
Tickets go on sale on 20 April. Adult tickets are priced at £5 per day, children’s tickets are £2.50 and under-ones go free.
Get tickets and more information here.
