Hull's Freedom Festival is growing up. It is bigger and bolder than ever, reaching out to a wider audience and attracting more attention around the UK.
When it first launched, as a one-day event in 2008, it was a well-intentioned attempt to highlight the Hull's great heritage through culture. But it became heavily influenced by commercial pop, not all of it – in fact not much of it – very popular beyond a young teenage audience.
Now, under the guidance of previous organiser Unique Events and this year's Walk The Plank, it has evolved into something much more mature. And crucially, it still needs to keep people from all backgrounds and with all expectations happy and involved.
This year, acts range from the ice cool The 1975 to the amazing Transe Express. On the way is a three-day rollercoaster of music, culture, arts and comedy. There should be something to please everyone, from young to old. And there is a renewed emphasis this year on promoting and featuring local talent. Local bands will feature prominently, and homegrown talents such as comic Lucy Beaumont will appear. The organisers have said that's the way they want Freedom to progress. Less cash going out to people who see Hull as just another remote stop on the tour train and more to provide a stage for developing talent from Hull and East Yorkshire. That shows just how far Freedom has come. In 2009, Peter Andre was a showcase. This year, there's a reading of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech by celebrated poet Lemn Sissay, almost 50 years to the day that it became history. That's not high-brow, arty nonsense. That's an achievement. And as well as the fun, the music, the comedy, acts like that must surely be at the heart of what this festival is all about. It is called Freedom after all.
• Download map of Hull Freedom Festival 2013 events
• Download full programme for Hull Freedom Festival 2013
This year, acts range from the ice cool The 1975 to the amazing Transe Express. On the way is a three-day rollercoaster of music, culture, arts and comedy. There should be something to please everyone, from young to old. And there is a renewed emphasis this year on promoting and featuring local talent. Local bands will feature prominently, and homegrown talents such as comic Lucy Beaumont will appear. The organisers have said that's the way they want Freedom to progress. Less cash going out to people who see Hull as just another remote stop on the tour train and more to provide a stage for developing talent from Hull and East Yorkshire. That shows just how far Freedom has come. In 2009, Peter Andre was a showcase. This year, there's a reading of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech by celebrated poet Lemn Sissay, almost 50 years to the day that it became history. That's not high-brow, arty nonsense. That's an achievement. And as well as the fun, the music, the comedy, acts like that must surely be at the heart of what this festival is all about. It is called Freedom after all.
• Hull Freedom Festival 2013: The top 10 events and more
