Humber Street Sesh comeback planned

A FESTIVAL that attracted 15,000 visitors and showcased local talent last year returns this summer.

Humber Street Sesh featured more than 100 bands and artists, street performers and market stalls at its inaugural event.

Now, after the success of its first year, organisers have secured funding and penned in a date, Saturday, August 3, for this year's festival.

The festival follows the success of weekly Sesh nights, which have been running for 11 years at the Linnet and Lark pub in Princes Avenue, west Hull.

Sesh nights, which give up-and-coming local bands a platform for their music, are the brainchild of DJ and promoter Mark Page, who has dedicated his time to creating a festival on the back of its success.

He said: "It was funded last year on goodwill, with contributions from the public, alongside local partnerships.

"For us to move forward and build on its success , we need support from the public and private sectors.

"We need about £65,000 and we're already sitting on about £25,000. Hull College, our main sponsor, has pledged £9,000.

"Because of the amount of people who will be attending, we need more security guards and proper festival insurance."

Mark said he wants to improve the infrastructure of the festival and work on its sustainability for the future.

"We would like the event to play a significant role in Hull's huge bid to become the UK's City of Culture 2017," he said.

The mission statement for the free event is to "promote and celebrate the excellence and diversity of Hull's creative community."

It aims to "assist in the regeneration and development of the urban cultural quarter based around Humber Street and its surrounding area."

More than 500 local people will be involved in utilising existing buildings throughout the Humber Dock area and 155 acts have already been booked to perform, with five spaces left and more than 40 DJs yet to be signed up.

"The festival will expand using the whole marina with comedy, live art and graffiti, food and fashion stalls, art exhibitions and a skate park arena," said Mark.

There are about 10 stages available for sponsorship and branding, at venues such as Fruit in Humber Street. Organisers also promise a comedy area and pop-up cinema.

A website site will be set up, enabling people to donate in return for their photograph being blown up and fitted to a sponsors' wall at the festival.

Advertising packages and banners will also be available.

Last year's event was reliant on the use of social media, with a Facebook group and 1,000 Twitter followers .

A total of 35,366 people also used the hashtag "#HumberStreetSesh" during the event.

"Everyone enjoyed themselves last year and it's not just a music event, it celebrates the creative brilliance in the city," said Mark.

"Jobs have even been created on the back of it, with designers going on to work for local venues.

"This is a festival all about Hull and we desperately need people to embrace it and support it."