The Big Malarkey: Kids’ reading festival returns to East Park
GATHER ROUND: An event at Big Malarkey in 2021
By Simon Bristow, Co-Editor
Children’s reading festival the Big Malarkey returns to East Park next month, with a series of activities and events taking place over the weekend of June 22 and 23.
Run by Hull Libraries, the annual festival encourages curiosity, learning and creativity by promoting reading for pleasure.
As well as the chance to meet and hear from writers, artists and musicians in the Big Top, there will be a host of fun activities in the smaller tents, including the chance to play with words to write stories, poetry and make music, and to enjoy craft, drawing and digital wizardry.
Anyone wanting to take it easy can lie back with the festival’s “Cloudscape friends” and let their mind travel through the sky, or pull up a beanbag in the Library tent and dive into a book. Librarians will be on hand to help you join the library for free and the Library tent is also where you can find out about fun family activities.
The festival site is known as Malarkey Park, where other attractions will include the chance to meet your Celtic ancestors at the Parisi Village, courtesy of Rewilding Youth; a sensory walk-through adventure called Wonderland, created by Concrete Youth Theatre; and the chance to handle objects from the Maritime Museum collection, courtesy of Hull Maritime.
Tickets go on sale at 10am on Saturday, June 1. They cost £6 for an adult, £3 per child, £16 for a family ticket (two adults and two children), and £5 for a disabled parent or guardian, including a free carer’s ticket.
Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Tickets are needed to access the festival site and will be swapped for a wristband at the gate. Wristbands are also available from any Hull library.
The wider festival begins on Monday, June 17, with the James Reckitt Reading Conference, followed by a schools programme from June 18 to 21, which includes the James Reckitt Hull Children’s Book Award.
To book tickets for the weekend of June 22 and 23 and see the full programme visit the festival website www.thebigmalarkeyfestival.com.
