Hull, having been named the UK City of Culture 2017, has revealed its 365 day programme of cultural events and creativity which will begin on 1st January.
Divided into four seasons, the celebration will draw on artists, writers, directors, musicians, revolutionaries and thinkers who were born in or live in Hull that have made a significant contribution to the development of art and ideas.
Each of the four seasons will have a particular theme connected to the city and its place in the world: Made in Hull (January – March); Roots & Routes (April – June); Freedom (July – September); and Tell the World (October – December).
City of Culture events will begin on 1st January with an opening event over seven days, called Made in Hull.
Staged across the city centre, Made in Hull will feature large-scale projections and illumination onto buildings and the historic skyline, moving images and live performance, to tell the story of the last 70 years of the city’s life.
Throughout the year
A number of highlights will take place in Hull throughout the year. These include 2097: We Made Ourselves Over, a new multi-platform city-wide installation that reimagines Hull in the future, and Flood, a project mixing live performance, special effects and digital elements to tell a story across an entire year.
Groups visiting Hull can also enjoy a number of theatre productions, including the premiere of The Hypocrite by award-winning Hull playwright Richard Bean, Shakespeare’s Richard III, and Mighty Atoms by Amanda Whittington.
These will be staged at the Hull Truck theatre on selected dates throughout the year.
There will also be a number of festivals taking place in Hull, and each season will host a themed weekend-long festival of events, debate and live music.
The first season, for example, will host WOW (Women of the World) – a festival of talks, debates, music, film, comedy and activism that celebrates women.
And in June, Where Are We Now? will see Neu! Reekie!, Scotland's cutting edge arts collective bring together a gathering of rabble rousers, agitators, thinkers and luminaries from all over the UK.
Freedom Talks in September, led by the Wilberforce Institute for Slavery and Emancipation, will explore the wider abolitionist movement, while in December, Hull will host Substance, a festival that explores the cultural soul of the north.
Group travel organisers can find out more about Hull UK City of Culture by visiting www.hull2017.co.uk.
The booking period has extended for the trailblazing show that continues to wow audiences at its purpose-built arena in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Faulty Towers The Dining Experience is asking group travel organisers to vote them as the Best Group Dining Experience for a second year running in the annual Group Leisure & Travel Awards.
Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean have announced a farewell ice skating tour to mark 40 years since winning Olympic Gold in 1984 to Ravel’s Bolero.
The award-winning musical by Jethro Compton and Darren Clark will transfer to the West End following a sold-out run at Southwark Playhouse.
