Much-loved outdoor family street theatre festival Big Splash will once again return to the streets of Newport this July to amaze, amuse and entertain local people and visitors from the surrounding areas! As one of the biggest free festivals of its kind in Wales, Big Splash organised by The Riverfront will be taking over the city centre from Saturday 20 to Sunday 21 July 2019 for a weekend jam-packed with free events and performances for families and big kids.
Thanks to funding from Newport Live and the Arts Council of Wales as well as sponsorship from Friars Walk, Kingsway Centre, Newport Now and Western Power Distribution, Big Splash is set to entertain thousands of people with free live street theatre, music and activities for all the family.
The Newport Now Business Improvement District (BID) is sponsoring Big Splash for the third successive year with a zone in Commercial Street and High Street, ensuring the festival includes the traditional shopping areas of the city centre.
BID manager Kevin Ward said: ‘We’re delighted to be involved with the Big Splash again. It has become one of the key events in the city centre calendar and brings much-needed footfall into the BID area to watch the fantastic street performances.’
Friars Walk Centre Director, Simon Pullen, said: ‘We’re really pleased to be involved with Big Splash once again – the Friars Walk Zone will be returning featuring vibrant street theatre and hands-on fun for all the family. It’s a real pleasure to be involved in such an amazing event which adds a wonderful energy to the city centre.’
Performances will once again pop up in six Big Splash zones, turning the city centre into one large outdoor stage. Highlights from last year’s festival included performances from Newport favourites Mr & Mrs Clark, street theatre act Le Navet Bete, samba band Barracwda and theatre company Flossy and Boo. Hula Hoop flash mob ‘Hoop Troupe’ which took place on the Saturday of last year’s festival in collaboration with Western Power and The Sparklettes has also just been nominated for an Arts & Business Cymru Award!
Big Splash 2019 is expected to be bigger and better than ever, with more circus, slapstick, street theatre and walkabout performances perfect for family entertainment! Last year visitors to the festival exceeded 24,500, and the festival’s organisers are confident that this year’s programme will attract, entertain and delight even more people in the heart of Newport.
‘Last year’s Big Splash Festival saw the city of Newport taken over for one weekend only by giant whales, unicycling unicorns and bouncing kangaroos to name but a few. This year people can expect even more crazy characters taking over the streets of the city, and a few surprises of course!’ Olivia Harris, Creative Producer for The Riverfront Theatre and Arts Centre and Big Splash.
To find out more about Big Splash 2019, visit www.bigsplashnewport.com. You can also stay updated with the festival on social media, Twitter @BigSplashFest and Facebook facebook.com/bigsplashnewport, where the first act announcements will be made very soon!