Scarborough Streets Festival Continues With Live Music, Theatre And Circus Acts in Town Centre

A three-day curated festival of outdoor activity featuring street art, live music, and circus acts is taking place across four town centre locations in Scarborough this weekend.

Scarborough Streets is set to transform the town centre into a hub of creativity and entertainment this weekend, as the curated festival of outdoor activity continues in Scarborough on Saturday.

Running through to Sunday the 31st of May, the event promises to bring a vibrant mix of live music, theatre, circus acts, and street magic to the Yorkshire Coast.

The festival's extensive programme of street art, performances, and workshops will take place between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. each day.

Organisers have ensured that the activity will be spread across four key town centre locations, allowing visitors to experience the free entertainment throughout Scarborough. These locations include Westborough, North Street, Aberdeen Walk, and Crescent Gardens.

The event is part of the wider Scarborough Fair initiative, which has garnered strong support from local cultural institutions and aims to provide accessible entertainment for the community.

Caroline Routh, representing the Stephen Joseph Theatre, highlighted the importance of such events for the town and the theatre's ongoing partnership with the festival organisers.

She noted that the theatre is currently entering its busiest period, having just started rehearsals for Calendar Girls, while also preparing to host a week's worth of activity for the upcoming Scarborough Fringe:

"Yeah, I mean SJT and Scarborough Fair have been partners, I think pretty much since Scarborough Fair started. So we're just really excited that this kind of activity can happen in Scarborough and we just want to do whatever we can to support it. We've just started rehearsals for Calendar Girls. We're hosting a week's worth of activity for Scarborough Fringe in a couple of weeks time. And yeah, summer is our busiest time. We're really, really excited about the opportunity just to get involved in stuff that is out in the street, that is free, that just gets people thinking that this kind of activity is something that they can get involved in. And then, yeah, if that if that ends up with them coming and seeing something at the theatre, great. But actually, if all they do is have an amazing time in Scarborough over this weekend and other events, that's brilliant as well."

The festival has also been praised for its ability to shine a spotlight on the region's strong grassroots scene, providing a platform for local talent to showcase their skills.

According to representatives from the Stephen Joseph Theatre, the willingness of local artists to support the festivals and engage with the activities has been a significant achievement for Scarborough Fair.

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.

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 – 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

Furthermore, the use of non-traditional spaces for performances during the Fringe events has encouraged the community to view the town's venues in a completely new light. 

Caroline added that she's been working closely with Festival Manager Catherine Goble in what's always a very popular event:

"Yeah, it's great first. And I think what Scarborough Fair in all of the different festivals has really demonstrated is how many local artists get really engaged and it's really helped us all find something that you know, that how how many people are here, and it's there's a really strong grassroots scene and what I think both Katherine and I would say is that local artists have got really behind the festivals and really behind all of the activities, and that I think is the biggest achievement for for Scarborough Fair. And like when you do look at the Fringe stuff and you look at some of the venues that are happening, that's also great because there's some unexpected venues where people are performing that aren't the traditional venues. And again, that starts getting people thinking about, oh, maybe I could do something there."