Welcome to Hullabaloo in the Park 2024
From the 26-28 July 2024, Darlington’s beautiful South Park will be transformed into a magical land of creativity and fun! Our Hullabaloo in the Park family festival has been specially created for 0-10s and their grown-ups and it’s jam-packed with so many fantastic things to see, make and do!
Join us for an outdoor extravaganza of performances, music, dance, storytelling, play spaces, pop-up entertainment, messy play, crafts, workshops and amazing food… and this year the festival programme is completely FREE to attend! Families and friends will be able to enjoy 40 top notch artists and 31+ different events without paying a penny.
Most of the festival will be drop-in. Just find the things your family would like to do in this programme and turn up at the relevant stage!
The Wilding Workshop, Adele Catchpole’s festival crown making and Lottie Smith’s cardboard puppet workshop are prebookable at their stage location on the day.
Neurodivergent friendly sessions are pre-bookable on our website prior to the festival - look out for the NDF sign throughout the brochure .
Festival goers can enjoy the region’s best tasty delights from visiting food vendors in Zone 3 of the festival .
Be sure to check out page 31 of this brochure, where you’ll be able to collect a delightful stamp from each of the mini beast themed stages.
A range of the shows and activities are British Sign Language interpreted - look out for the BSL sign throughout the brochure . We have also identified shows and activities that are mainly visual or nonverbal, look out for the visual sign.
Wherever you turn you’ll find magical things to see, make and do for free!
Theatre Hullabaloo x
Things to
BOxvILLE
By Cardboard Adventures
Fri 26 July:
11am / 1.15pm / 3.30pm, Sat 27 July: 11.45am / 3.30pm
Stage: Bumblebee
For ages 4 years +
Duration: 60 minutes
Free, no need to book
Work with the BOXVILLE engineers and craft-a-long in this fantastically fun theatre production. Build your own way through the tasks and trials of BOXVILLE, earning everything you need to become a fully-fledged cardboard engineer!
You will meet paper dragons, corrugated crabs and cardboard space robots in this STEM skilled, hands on, interactive, cardboard adventure!
BubblePlay
By Jesse Ward & Paul Dewhurst
Fri 26, Sat 27 & Sun 28 July
Sessions will run at various times around the park
For all ages
Free, no need to book visual
Prepare to be mesmerised by Jesse and Paul’s amazing bubble displays!
Jesse delighted crowds at last year’s Hullabaloo in the Park and we can’t wait for them to return this year along with Paul for lots more bubble fun!
Early Weaves
By Ascension Dance Company
Sat 27 July: 10.45am / 1.30pm Sun 28 July: 10.45am / 1.45pm
Stage: Bumblebee
For ages 1-4 years
Duration: 40 minutes
Free, no need to book visual
Join friends Weave and Willow as they go on a play adventure of imaginary fish and shooting stars.
Created by early years specialists Ascension Dance Company, this magical dance-theatre performance for early years children merges clowning, play and movement in a non-verbal treat about friendship for the very young.
Family Storytelling
By Elena Joy Miller, Star Bright Arts
Storytelling
Sat 27 July: 11.30am / 3.15pm
Stage: Hedgehog
For ages 5 years +
Duration: 20 minutes
Free, no need to book
Come on a page-turning adventure with Elena and help her bring the stories to life through music, movement and play. Using highquality children’s picture books and sensory resources, this story time is bound to make magical memories for all of the family!
This session is aimed at children aged 5+ but younger and older siblings and friends are welcome to join in the fun too.
CREATIVITY forevery
Did you know that Theatre Hullabaloo are a charity, bringing creativity into the lives of 10,000s of children and their grown-ups every year?
Our specialist children’s venue, The Hullabaloo, on Borough Road in Darlington, is open 6 days a week all year for children to play creatively, see amazing shows and take part in inspirational activities .
We can’t run our venue, or festivals like Hullabaloo in the Park, without your support. Your donations make it possible for us to change lives and spread joy across the North East and beyond.
We’d be very grateful if you could donate to us today, to help bring the magic to as many children and families as possible . theatrehullabaloo.org.uk/ we-couldnt-do-it-without-you
Hannabiell & Midnight Blue
Workshop + performance
Fri 26 July: 11am / 1pm / 3pm
Stage: Hedgehog
For all ages
Duration: approx 50-60 minutes
Free, No need to book
Join Hannabiell & Midnight Bluea high energy Afro-Psychedelic Funk
Collective - for this vibrant junk percussion workshop. Grab some junk and let’s make some noise!
You’ll learn some simple beats, rhythm patterns and have a go at playing as a group.
After the workshop make sure to stay and boogie at Hannabiell & Midnight Blue’s invigorating and super fun musical performance! It’s the perfect way for little ones to burn off some energy!
Hullabaloo in Wonderland
By Theatre Hullabaloo & Northern School of Art
Directed by Stan Hodgson
Fri 26 July:
1.45pm / 2.45pm / 3.45pm
Sat 27 July: 2.15pm / 3.45pm BSL
Sun 28 July: 1.45pm / 2.30pm / 3.45pm
Location: Hullabaloo in Wonderland meeting point
For ages 4 years +
Duration: 45-50 minutes
Free, no need to book
NDF Session
Sat 27 July: 3pm-3.45pm
Duration: 45-50 minutes
Free, pre-bookable via the website
Take a walk in Alice’s Wonderland at Hullabaloo in the Park!
Meet your favourite classic Alice in Wonderland characters in this magical promenade performance that leads you to the maddest tea party you’ve ever been invited to!
At the end of the walk, children will be treated to an eccentric tea party in the family picnic bench area. Each child can enjoy a drink and jam tart as part of this magical experience.
Make
Some Noise!
By Dommy B
Sat 27 July:
1.30pm / 2.30pm / 4pm
Sun 28 July:
12.15pm / 1.30pm / 2.30pm
Stage: Hedgehog (Sat), Ladybird & Hedgehog (Sun)
For ages 5 years +
Duration: 20-30 minutes
Free, No need to book
Come along and join in the fun at Dommy B’s high energy poetry performance! Noise can be quiet, gentle, loud, lots of fun and full of feelings.
Dommy B’s Make Some Noise poems share surprising stories about growing up, finding a brilliant (but naughty) imaginary friend, meeting Jasper the cat and joining a great school band (Whizzkid and the Veggie Burgers)!
Monkey AroundSensory Story Time!
By Elena Joy-Miller, Star Bright Arts
Sat 27 July: 10.30am
Stage: Hedgehog
For ages 0-4 years
Duration: 20 minutes
Free, no need to book
Swing into this story time session made especially for little ones and their grown-ups - you’ll have an ape-solutely brilliant time!
Monkey Around is sensory story specifically designed for little ones and their grown-ups and uses a selection of high-quality resources and props to bring the story to life. Get ready for music, movement and Makaton too! Join in the fun and go bananas!
Older siblings and friends are welcome to join the sessions too.
Sing & Play
By Bridie Jackson
Fri 26 July:
10.30am BSL / 11.30am BSL / 12.30pm / 1.30pm / 2.45pm / 3.45pm Sat 27 July:
10.30am / 11.45am / 12.45pm / 2pm BSL / 3.15pm / 4pm
Stage: Ladybird (Fri), Caterpillar (Sat) For ages 0-4 years
Duration: 20 minutes
Free, no need to book
Join musician and early years specialist Bridie Jackson for a fun packed drop-in music session of songs, dances and games!
Bridie’s Sing & Play sessions were really popular at last year’s Hullabaloo in the Park and we can’t wait for little ones and their grownups to have a blast at this year’s festival!
Tales from Far Far Away
By Umar Butt
Fri 26 July: 12.15pm / 2.45pm Sun 28 July: 10.30am / 1pm
Stage: Caterpillar (Fri), Ladybird & Caterpillar (Sun)
For ages 2-7 years
Duration: 20 minutes
Free, no need to book
Join internationally acclaimed storyteller, Umar Butt on a storytelling journey through magical worlds populated by caterpillars, butterflies, seals, alligators and porcupines! Younger and older siblings and friends are welcome to join in the fun too.
The Flowering Tree
By Payal Ramchandani
Dance performance
Sat 27 July:
10.30am / 11.45am / 3pm
Stage: Ladybird
For ages 6 years +
Duration: 20 minutes
Free, no need to book
Step into the enchanting world of storytelling through Kuchipudi, an Indian classical dance style by Payal Ramchandani. Join us for this stunning performance, telling the captivating tale of Kumudha; a young woman with a magical secret, brought to life through mesmerising movements and live percussion by Brendan Murphy.
This performance has been created specifically for children aged 6+ but all the family are welcome to come along.
The Forest Dream
By Payal Ramchandani
in collaboration with Elena Joy Miller, Star Bright Arts
Sat 27 July: 12.30pm / 2pm
Stage: Ladybird
For ages 6 years +
Duration: 20 minutes
Free, no need to book
Journey into the mystical world of Aranyani with Indian classical dance, storytelling and a fun eco-craft activity!
Payal, the only professional Kuchipudi dancer in the North East, guides participants through intricate movements and expressive gestures along with Elena’s vibrant storytelling skills, igniting imagination.
Children embark on a cultural exploration and take home seed bombs that they will make as part of the session enabling them to cherish the planet a little more.
This performance has been created specifically for children aged 6+ but all the family are welcome to come along.
The Slinkies
By Bedlam Oz
Sun 28 July
Location: victoria Embankment
For all ages
Free, no need to book visual
Whilst you’re at the festival, look out for The Slinkies - a mesmerising walkabout act that’s bound to put a smile on your face! Audiences will be able to enjoy a blend of meticulously choreographed performance alongside enchanting and frequently humourous interactions.
The Weather Machine
By Kate Flatt
Sat 27 July: 11am / 1.15pm
Sun 28 July:11am / 1pm / 3.30pm
Stage: Spider
For all ages
Duration: 25 minutes
Free, no need to book visual
Two witty characters make magic out of dance and weather!
The Weather Machine is a 100% non-verbal dance theatre experience designed for young children and their grown-ups, which looks playfully into how two dancing mechanical actors grapple with unpredictable weather.
Conjuring up the slapstick humour of Laurel and Hardy, The Weather Machine duo will give you and your family a demonstration of their fantabulous contraption.
The Wishing Tree
By Umar Butt Storytelling
Wilding
By Miscreations Theatre
Sun 28 July: 12pm / 3pm
Stage: Bumblebee
Fri 26 July: 10.30am / 11.15am / 1pm / 2.15pm BSL / 3.45pm BSL
Sun 28 July: 11.15am / 12pm / 2.15pm / 3.15pm / 4pm
For ages 4 years +
Duration: 70 minutes
Free, no need to book
Stage: Caterpillar
For ages 2-7 years
Duration: 15-20 minutes
Free, no need to book
Join Umar by The Wishing Tree to hear an enchanting story about a magical tree in a desert which makes all your wishes come true. It’s where animals gather for shelter, songs and stories until they are ready to embark on the rest of their journey.
Wilding is an extraordinary outdoor theatre adventure for children aged 4+ and their families.
Wilding Theatre takes us all on an ecological odyssey of surprises - through puppets, song, clown, storytelling and listening to the natural world - children and their families alike will become part of the spiralling connections that Alice makes so that together we come to understand how to send the giants back to sleep.
Children and grown-ups will have a chance to hang their very own wish on the tree. We can’t wait to see all your wishes!
Wilding has been created for 4-9 year olds but younger and older siblings and friends are welcome to join in the fun.
Things to
Create a Crown
By Adele Catchpole
Sun 28 July:
10.30am / 1.30pm / 3.30pm
For ages 4 years + Stage: Worm
Duration: 45 minutes
Free - sign-up on the day at the Worm stage
NDF Session
Sun 28 July: 12pm
Duration: 45 minutes
Unleash your creativity with Adele Catchpole in our fabulous festival crown making workshop. Rummage through the treasures in our dressing up box and create your very own textile crown to wear with pride. Adele will teach you handy skills such as cut and stick collage as well as weaving and other fun textile techniques! Let your imagination run free in this family creative workshop!
Clay Critters
By Bright Woods Forest School CIC
Sat 27 July:
10am-12.30pm / 2.30pm-4.30pm
Sun 28 July:
10.30am-12pm / 2pm-4.30pm
Stage: Worm (Sat), Mouse (Sun)
For ages 2 years +
Duration: 15-40 minutes
(drop-in rolling activity)
Free, no need to book
NDF Sessions
Sat 27 July: 12.45pm-1.15pm / 2pm-2.30pm Sun 28 July: 12.15pm-12.45pm / 1.30pm-2pm
Duration: 10-20 minutes
Free, booked in advance
4, 6 or 8 legs? Explore what makes a creature identifiable by its features and then use a combination of clay and natural materials to make your very own cute bug.
Drop-in Crafts
By Theatre Hullabaloo & Nicola Scarr
Fri 26 - Sun 28 July: 10.30am-4.30pm
All ages
Stage: Snail & Mouse
Free, no need to book
Join in with our popular craft drop-in sessions and create a whole range of cute creepy crawlies and animals.
Plus get into the spirit of summer and make colourful paper ice lollies! You’ll also have the chance to create a mini windmill! We can’t wait to get stuck into some creative fun!
Build a Bird
By Lottie Smith
Fri 26 July: 10.30am / 12.15pm BSL / 3.45pm
For ages 4 years + NDF Session
Fri 26 July: 2.30pm
Stage: Worm
Duration: 45 minutes
Continuing Boxville’s cardboard master crafting theme, cardboard master Lottie will help you create your own delightful flying bird puppet from various types of cardboard.
Once you’ve created your bird you’ll be able to fly it through the festival!
Children’s Savings Accounts
From birth onwards, you can save with confidence for a child at Darlington Building Society.
Things to
Build it Beautiful
By Theatre Hullabaloo
Sponsored by
Fri 26, Sat 27 & Sun 28 July
10.30am-4.30pm
Stage: Bird
For ages 3-8 years
Free, no need to book
Specially developed for this year’s Hullabaloo in the Park, Build it Beautiful is a new constructionthemed play experience for budding builders and mini park-itects!
Don your hard hat and high vis and get stuck in to sand, blocks and all sorts of other fun designed to build motor skills and promote imaginative play.
Build it Beautiful is a free play space available throughout the festival. There’s lots of space to play, but please be aware that there may be short wait times during busier periods.
Come Rain or Come Shine
By Kate Flatt
Giant’s Picnic
By Theatre Hullabaloo & Lynda Nelson
Fri 26 July: 11.30am-4.30pm Sat 27 July: 10.30am-3.30pm Sun 28 July: 11.30am-4.30pm
For ages 0-5 years
Sat 27 July: 12pm ( BSL)
Location: victoria Embankment
For ages 3 years + and their grown-ups
Duration: 30 minutes
Free, no need to book
Join us on a magical journey through the seasons with our enchanting Family Dance Workshop based on The Weather Machine (a show at Hullabaloo in the Park - see page 13).
Stage: Grasshopper
Duration: 20 minute play sessions
Free, no need to book
NDF Sessions
Fri 26 & Sun 28 July: 10.30-11.15am
Sat 27 July: 3.45-4.30pm
Duration: Up to 45 minutes
Free, lower capacity, bookable sessions
Giant’s Picnic was a firm favourite at last year’s Hullabaloo in the Park and we’re thrilled to say it’s back again this year.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to play amongst a Giant’s picnic? To stack the biggest cheese sandwich tower? To roll with sausages, rest under a lettuce leaf or jump in and out of doughnuts?
As part of Little Wonders
(Theatre Hullabaloo’s artist commission programme), North East artist Lynda Nelson has created a giant picnic with oversized food for supersized play potential, and everyone is invited to join in.
Early Weaves
Walkabout
By Ascension Dance Company
Sat 27July: 2.45pm
Sun 28 July: 12pm / 3pm
Location: victoria Embankment
For all ages
Duration: 20 minutes
Free, no need to book visual
Join Weave and Willow on a play procession that takes children and their families on a fun journey of dance and imagination through the park.
Grab a willow fish and swim through the park, pick up a star and shoot through space or simply spin, twist and groove to the accompanying music.
As the procession travels through the park everyone is welcome to join in with this improvised and playful experience!
Weave
By Harry Pizzey & Theatre Hullabaloo
in partnership with Between the Tides, Redcar & Cleveland
Borough Council
Fri 26 July: 11.30am-4.30pm
Sat 27 July: 10.30am-3.30pm
Sun 28 July: 11.30am-4.30pm
Stage: Butterfly
For ages 0-2 years
Duration: 20 minute play sessions
Free, no need to book
NDF Sessions
Fri 26 July: 10.30-11.15am
Sat 27 July: 3.45-4.30pm
Sun 28 July: 10.30-11.15am
Duration: Up to 45 minutes
Free, lower capacity, bookable sessions via website
Weave in and out of colour, sound and space in Theatre Hullabaloo’s latest Little Wonders commission with Harry Pizzey. This brand new sensory play installation has been made specially for your littlest ones to enjoy.
Wild Child Messy Play
By Wild Child Messy Play
Fri 26 July: 10.30am-12pm / 12.45-2.15pm / 3-4.30pm Sun 28 July: 10.30am-12pm, / 12.45-2.15pm / 3-4.30pm
Stage: Frog
For ages 6 months-4 years
Duration: Approx 20 minutes (rolling sessions)
Free, no need to book Roll your sleeves up for our Wild Child Messy Play sessions exploring a treasure trove of sensory fun!
Babies and children will have the chance to mark make, explore, and experiment with a range of engaging resources from sensory rice to homemade play dough and much more!
Don’t forget to bring a change of clothes for your little ones as they will get messy!
Wilding Workshop
By Miscreations Theatre
Sat 27 July:
10.30am BSL / 1pm / 2.30pm
Stage: Frog
For ages 5-9 years
Duration: 45 minutes
Free, bookable via sign-up at the Frog stage
Come awaken your senses and imagination to the natural world through drama, song and simple body percussion.
Together we will conjure rainstorms and rainbows, create nature orchestras with our bodies and voices, investigate the lives of snails and dandelions and come to consider the sounds we hear all around us and how the outdoors makes us feel.
Timetable
Friday 26 July
Timetable
Saturday 27 July
(drop in or book on the day)
Timetable
Bookable
Amazing food!
We have a fantastic variety of food vendors to suit everybody’s taste buds! Come along and enjoy the region’s best food and drink, including a selection of vegan and gluten free options.
You’ll be able to enjoy tasty delights from:
Another One Bites the Dutch • Divine Bakery
Falafal Fella • FlipnFast • Habibi Come
Overhead Pizza • Phat Pigs • Pizza Geeks
The Waffle Co • Tribe Street Coffee
Wonderful Whippy • Xclusive Catering
All the food and drink vendors will be situated in Zone 3 of the festival at Victoria Embankment.
Stage stamp collection
Collect a stamp from each stage to complete your mini-beast collection! Can you collect all 12?
FAMILY FESTIVAL
South Park, Darlington July 26-28 2024
Theatre Hullabaloo is an award-winning creative charity for children and families. We use creativity to support children and the grown-ups in their lives to be the best they can be for each other.
Every year 28,000 people visit our theatre, take part in our family festivals, or enjoy our free creative play programmes. We bring wonder, joy and magic to some of the most deprived communities in the UK.
We couldn’t do any of this without the generous support of our festival sponsors.
