The Humber Street Sesh takes place every year and is the regions largest festival for independent musicians. It has been proudly showcasing local and grassroots artists since 2012.
This year it will be headlined by the Hull dream pop band BDRMM, with the lineup including other independent artists like indie rock band Fever, ska punk and hip hop fusion group Counting Coins, among many others.
The festival was founded out of Hull’s rich music scene and was developed from a weekly music night at the Linnet and Lark pub in West Hull. According to the BBC, the festival director, Mark Page, attributes the success of the festival to Hull’s vibrant music scene which has helped the festival’s meteoric rise in popularity. He stated:
When we first started we thought maybe 1,000 people would attend, so we were pleasantly surprised when 10,000 turned up. The second year, we had 40,000, so we put a cap on it [the size of the crowd].
Due to developments within the area, limits have been placed on the number of people able to attend the festival, but Page notes that it remains well supported.
The festival will take place on Saturday the 3rd of August at the Hull Marina from midday to 11pm, with around 18,000 music fans attending. Tickets cost £20 plus a £2 handling fee and are available for purchase from in-person select retailers, the locations of which can be found online.
Alongside the wide range of independent artists, the festival also boasts a variety of street food options. These include food trucks serving artisan coffee, Greek street food, and Punjabi street food, to name just a few.
The festival also offers various arts and activities to bring fun and captivating entertainment to the festival goers, all thanks to their sponsors J’ONeill & Co Ltd, Hull Business Angels, and Hull City Wide Partnership. The entertainment includes flash mobs, graffiti artists, and puppet hand parades.
Hull Trains is also sponsoring the festival for the 5th time, providing free travel for ticket holders between Doncaster and Hull. To access the free travel, festival goers must show their wrist bands to on-board transport staff.
Lou Mendham, the service delivery director of Hull Trains, explained the motive for offering their services free of charge, aside from supporting the local community. She said:
Our offer of free travel for those heading to the festival is our way of supporting the team in making it an even greener event.
Both Hull Trains and the Humber Street Sesh are part of the Oh Yes! Net Zero campaign which aims to reduce carbon emissions in local areas. In addition to cleaner transport links, this also includes the use of solar powered stages, environmentally-conscious waste disposal, and powering all stages, bars, and lighting with renewable green fuel (HVO).
Showcasing so many performing artists and food and entertainment options, coupled with an environmentally-conscious ethos, gives the festival a sense of exciting longevity as it runs for the 14th year.
