Scarborough Streets Festival Brings Live Entertainment To The Town Centre This Weekend

A three-day curated festival of outdoor activity will kickstart the season in Scarborough this weekend, featuring street art, performances, and workshops across four town centre locations.

Scarborough Streets is set to transform the town centre this weekend with a vibrant mix of live music, theatre, circus acts, and street magic.

Running from Friday the 29th of May to Sunday the 31st of May, the three-day curated festival of outdoor activity will take place between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. each day.

Activity will be spread across key locations including Westborough, North Street, Aberdeen Walk, and Crescent Gardens.

Festival Director Catherine Goble said:

"Plenty of activity happening literally in the streets of the town centre from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the 29th to the 31st of May.

We have four performance areas, one outside Poundland, one on Aberdeen Walk, one on North Street, and one in the Crescent Gardens.

We've got mixtures of magic, circus skills, music, dance, theatre, anything that you can possibly think of that can happen on the street is happening that weekend."

Families can expect hands-on creative activities, interactive arts and crafts experiences, and high-energy music sets. Visitors are encouraged to make a costume, prop, or musical instrument at one of the workshops before joining a community walkabout parade down Westborough.

Catherine Goble explained what visitors can expect at one of the key locations:

"It's a great atmosphere in the town centre when we've built stuff there. Crescent Gardens, beautiful spot for things happening.

This year we've got a youth musician stage on the Friday, which is musicians aged between just 5 years old and 20 years old that will be doing sets throughout the day there.

We have the learning zone from the museums, doing a dress a donkey to take to the beach craft workshop.

On the Sunday we've got DJ skills workshops and circus skills workshops and various things happening with the National Literacy Trust on the Saturday as well.

So Crescent Gardens, definitely a place to be but then yes, things that you can just stumble across in the town centre as well as you're going about your shopping."

The festival programme offers something for everyone, bringing together professional acts and community groups to animate the town.

Catherine Goble detailed how the programme is supported:

"Our Streets program is funded by the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority through the Stephen Joseph Theatre, who then second us to do the events for the Streets program. So, that's not just the main streets that we've got coming up, we've also got Fringe Streets, which is enabling Fringe performers to do excerpts from their performances in the street. It's good publicity for them. It animates the high street. So, yeah, it's perfect."

A varied programme of events is scheduled across the three days.

On Friday, visitors can enjoy theatrical performances from The Three Musketeers and Pandaemonium on the Westborough Stage. Music fans can watch Nathan Badger, while others can witness the Tent of Mystery Street Magic on North Street, or take part in the 'Dress a Donkey to Take The Beach' art workshop in Crescent Gardens.

Saturday's line-up includes performances by the Scarborough Wellbeing Choir, The Arbeau Dancers, and the Korali Ukrainian Choir on Westborough. Families can also enjoy a Wand and Spell-Making Workshop and 'Have-a-Go Hula Hoops' on North Street, or step inside stories with various art sessions at Crescent Gardens.

The festival concludes on Sunday with appearances from the Hornsea Shanty Lasses, a Dragon Dance, and the Technospartens K-Pop Dancers. There are also DJ and circus skills workshops with Secret Sub Rosa, and a community walkabout on Westborough.

Alongside the entertainment, visitors can pick up a leaflet to discover special offers from participating local high street businesses, making it an ideal opportunity to explore the town while soaking up the festival atmosphere.

Scarborough Fair Events – Friday 29 May

• Nathan Badger (Music) – Westborough Stage

• The Three Musketeers (Theatre) – Westborough Stage

• Pandaemonium (Theatre) – Westborough Stage

• Prime (Theatre) – Westborough Stage

• Jingle Robertson (Music) – Aberdeen Walk Stage

• Alice Ashby & Bertie Ward (Music) – Aberdeen Walk Stage

• Mally Jackson (Music) – Aberdeen Walk Stage

• Tim Moon (Music) – Aberdeen Walk Stage

• Jack Robertson with Sam McKie (Music) – Aberdeen Walk Stage

• Tent of Mystery Street Magic (Circus) – North Street Stage

• Penny Arcadia’s Victorian Barrel Organ (Music) – North Street Stage

• Youth Musicians Stage (Music) – Crescent Gardens

• Dress a Donkey to Take The Beach (Art) – Crescent Gardens

• Make a Parade (Workshop) – Westborough Stage

• Printmaking Workshop (Workshop) – Westborough Stage

Scarborough Fair Events – Saturday 30 May

• Pierrots (Theatre) – Westborough Stage

• Scarborough Wellbeing Choir (Music) – Westborough Stage

• The Arbeau Dancers (Dance) – Westborough Stage

• Nathan Badger (Music) – Westborough Stage

• Korali Ukrainian Choir (Music) – Westborough Stage

• The Rising Sun Association (Sport) – Aberdeen Walk Stage

• Stephen Brailsford (Magic) – Aberdeen Walk Stage

• Brittany Dance Class (Dance) – Aberdeen Walk Stage

• Jimi Handtrix & Friends (Theatre) – Aberdeen Walk Stage

• Jingle Robertson (Music) – Aberdeen Walk Stage

• Wand and Spell-Making Workshop (Circus) – North Street Stage

• Have-a-Go Hula Hoops (Sport) – North Street Stage

• Beetlebug (Music) – Crescent Gardens Stage

• Songs of Hope & Resistance (Music) – Scarborough Library & Crescent Gardens Stage

• Female Inventors Crafts Workshop (Workshop) – Westborough

• Make a Parade (Workshop) – Westborough Stage

• The Blow-Ins (Music) – Crescent Gardens Stage

• Stories We Step Inside (ages 3–6) (Art) – Crescent Gardens Stage

• Stories We Step Inside (ages 7–11) (Art) – Crescent Gardens Stage

• Stories We Step Inside (ages 10–12) (Art) – Crescent Gardens Stage

• Passion Prompt (Art) – Crescent Gardens Stage

Scarborough Fair Events – Sunday 31 May

• Hornsea Shanty Lasses (Music) – Westborough Stage

• Technospartens K-Pop Dancers (Dance) – Westborough Stage

• Dragon Dance (Dance) – Westborough Stage

• Pierrots (Theatre) – Westborough Stage

• Jack Robertson with Sam McKie (Music) – Aberdeen Walk Stage

• Jimi Handtrix & Friends (Theatre) – Aberdeen Walk Stage

• Monty Sings Musicals (Music) – Aberdeen Walk Stage

• Fred Vacher (Music) – Aberdeen Walk Stage

• Mally Jackson (Music) – Aberdeen Walk Stage

• Tim Moon (Music) – Aberdeen Walk Stage

• Magic & Balloon Modelling Workshop (Magic) – North Street Stage

• Secret Sub Rosa – Circus Skills (Circus) – Crescent Gardens Stage

• Secret Sub Rosa – DJ Skills (Music) – Crescent Gardens Stage

• Make a Parade (Workshop) – Westborough Stage

• Community Walkabout (Workshop) – Westborough

• Magic & Balloon Modelling Workshop (Workshop) – North Street Stage

There are more details available at https://scarboroughfair.uk/streets