Hello, and welcome to the wonderful world of Between the Tides, a free outdoor festival for children, young people and their grown-ups in the heart of Redcar.
After a fantastic launch last year, we’re back on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 August transforming the town into an exciting spectacle of theatre, puppetry, circus, dance, storytelling, music and more!
Everything at this year’s festival has been selected or designed with the people of Redcar & Cleveland in mind. We’ve spoken to hundreds of young people from across the borough about their passions, ambitions and interests, all of which we hope is reflected in the programme.
Redcar has lots of wonderful spaces, and we’re delighted to be filling them with a whole range of exciting things…
Redcar High Street will become a giant playground with Virtual Reality Swings; a Gamezone bus; circus skills; an interactive foodie gameshow, and a hilarious Actual Reality Arcade. You might even spot a mermaid in a snow globe…!
Majuba will play host to performances from the magical Fish Boy; a giant inflatable slug, mesmerising puppet shows, brilliant live music and tasty treats from our street food market.
At TunedIn! you’ll find free, fun workshops in everything from dance to bath bomb making, as well as amazing circus shows and giant puppets.
At The Beacon and right along the Esplanade you’ll meet a colourful cast of characters. Watch out for inflatable lobsters, pirates, sea monsters, parrots and sea horses. No festival in Redcar would be the same without some beach time, so we have a sandcastle competition and a silent disco on the sands.
We’re thrilled that a number of events and activities have been created by the young people of Redcar & Cleveland. Check out the full listings in the centre of this programme then get planning your weekend. We’re so excited for you to experience this year’s Between the Tides Festival!
Between the Tides Festival Team
“it was genuinely one of the highlights of our year”
Laura, visitor in 2023
Key to Events
Free Drop-in
5 Ages 5+/1+ etc
All Ages
Baby Friendly
Wheelchair Accessible
Non Verbal
BSL Interpreted
Be Prepared to Queue Ticketed
Created with Young People
Family Circus Skills Workshop: Circurama
Sat only 11-5pm, High Street (middle of High St)
Ever fancied plate spinning? Unicycling? Join Circurama on the High Street so the whole family can have a go at juggling, diabolo, balance boards and much more.
Volo Dreams of Flight: Studio GoGo
Sat & Sun 11-5pm, High Street (near Iceland)
Get ready to have your mind blown - this is about as close as you’ll get to flying!
Don a VR headset, hop onto a swing and soar into one of four amazing fantasy worlds!
Free, fun and suitable for all ages, an accessible wheelchair swing will also be available throughout the day so everyone can take part in this incredible experience.
High Street
Minecraft World: Game Zone Events
Sun only 11-5pm, High Street
Craft your dream town…!
Enter Gamezone’s Gaming Party Bus and unleash your imagination, teamwork and creativity to craft our perfect place…
Using Minecraft, up to ten players at a time can work together, or on your own, to design and build things you would find in your dream town. What will you include? Amazing houses, parks, theatres, swimming pools, or how about an enormous statue of your own face?
By the end of the day, everyone’s creations will form a brand new, Between the Tides town!
Each player will only have twenty minutes… Let’s see what we create!
Fussy Foodies: Just More Productions
Sat and Sun 12.45pm & 3pm, High Street (near the blue clock)
Join Messy Mama T and the gang for a gameshow like no other!
The Battle of The Pans is an interactive game show celebrating food, music, roots, and culturea kind of outdoor kitchen party where the audience joins in on the fun! 45 minute show.
5 Sun 12.45pm
Talking Birds: The Whale
Sat & Sun 11-1.15pm & 2.15pm-5pm
High Street (near The Works & Boots opticians)
Step inside a giant metal whale which swallows audiences whole, to enjoy a charming and playful show for intrepid sailors of all ages. Performed by a solo actor for one small family group at a time, prepare to dive!
Priority will be given to audiences requiring BSL 2-3pm on Sunday. Just make yourself known to our interpreter.
Sun 2.15-3pm
Sea Sphere: The Show Globe
Sun only 12noon, 2pm & 3.45pm, High Street (near Pacittos)
‘Is she real mummy?’
Anahita the mermaid will be gliding gracefully through the crowds in her magical globe.
Released from the sea, she will bring a mesmerising underwater performance to the High Street.
High Street
Actual Reality Arcade Games
Sat & Sun 11am-5pm
High Street (near the main clock)
Who remembers Whack a Mole? Space Invaders? Marble Madness?
Matthew Harrison’s Actual Reality
Arcade brings classic video arcade games to life in hilarious life-sized versions.
Parents - show your children the
Everywhere’s a Beach: Hikapee Theatre
Sat & Sun 11.30am & 3pm (45 minute show), Majuba, Outside TunedIn!
Say hello to Hikapee and their giant revolving parasol for a day at the beach unlike any other! A high energy aeriel circus show that just happens to take place on a giant spinning parasol. Fun for all the family – but don’t try this at home!
Weave: Harry Pizzey
Sat & Sun 11-1pm and 2-5pm, Majuba, Outside TunedIn!
Weave in and out of colour, sound and space in Between the Tides and Theatre Hullabaloo’s latest Little Wonders commission, specially designed by artist Harry Pizzey.
This brand-new sensory play installation has been made specially for your littlest ones to enjoy thanks to a commission from Between the Tides and Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council. Suitable for 0-2.
Majuba TunedIn!
Nanny Girngaw: The Sea Witch Carmen Marcus & Kat Lynas
Sat & Sun 11.45am 1.30pm & 4.30pm, Majuba, Outside TunedIn!
Once a long time ago, Nanny Girngaw was a kindly sea-nymph and the fishermen used to leave her treats in exchange for a fair wind, but that is all forgotten now. Her sea is full of rubbish and Nanny Girngaw has grown as knotty and twisted as the plastic, ropes and rubbish churning in the sea. A family friendly, contemporary folktale. In between the shows, join Carmen and Kat for some fabulous workshops. A sea witches job is to knot winds for sailors so come and learn to make magical knots.
Or how about creating A Message in a Bottle to send to the Finfolk who live deep under the sea and who have sent a message to ustake care of the sea and it will take care of you. Work with different materials to write, draw and make your very own messages back to the Finfolk.
Windmill Workshops: Adele Catchpole
Sat & Sun 11-5pm, Majuba, Outside TunedIn!
Celebrate Redcar’s natural environment with these lovely windmill workshops. Make a lemon top, a seagull or an ammonite fossil, then watch your creations spin in the breeze.
Mini Sea Monster Workshops: Adam Bligh
Majuba, Outside TunedIn! Sat & Sun 11-5pm
Let your imagination run riot and create your very own sea monster with artist Adam Bligh. Take inspiration from the sea monster lagoon around the boating lake.
Dance Workshops: TeesDance
Sling n Sway 11am (Sat only), 12.30pm (both days). Family Dance 2pm & 4pm, Majuba Inside TunedIn!
Join TeesDance’s super popular dance workshops. Dance with your baby (0-2) in our Sling n Sway classes (papooses available) or bring the whole family to our Family Dance tasters.
Cosplay Experience: Between the Tides Cosplay Competition
Sun only 10.30am-12.00pm, Majuba, Inside TunedIn!
Dress up as your favourite character and come and get involved in Between the Tides Cosplay Competition!
Themes: Heroes & Villains, Anime, Films, Video Games, and Comic Books.
Come along to TunedIn! at 10.30am on Sunday 25 August, and show off your costume and best poses!
You can then vote on your favourite cosplayer alongside two industry professionals, with the winners being awarded a prize. There will be a Primary School age category, and a Secondary School age category.
You will be asked to register as you arrive.
Note the early 10.30am time start for this one.
Majuba TunedIn!
Big Puppets Little Puppets: Whippet Up
Sat & Sun 11-5pm, Majuba, Outside TunedIn!
Join everyone’s favourite storytellers for puppet shows big and small. Create your own one minute performances with miniature puppet theatres and marvel at the giant walkabout sea-creatures who will be mingling with the crowds - all created by the participants of Whippet Up’s creative health groups.
Big
Science: Fizzy Science
Workshops
Sun only 11-1.15pm and 2.15-5pm, Outside TunedIn!
Eureka! Put the fun into science. Learn how to make sherbet in the morning and bath bombs in the afternoon. 5
The Sea Monster Lagoon: Created by young people from Redcar & Cleveland
Sat & Sun 11-5pm, The Boating Lake
Sea serpents, marine monsters, lake leviathans… See the spectacular creations conjured up by the young people from schools, Redcar & Cleveland Family Hubs and our Festival Summer School. Look out for Whippet Up’s spectacular sea creature and Sarga The Sea Turtle by puppet maker Greener Lavelle. Colour Creation Station: Between the Tides Commission
Sat & Sun 11-5pm, The Boating Lake
Unleash your inner artist and get creative at our Colour Creation Station. Commissioned by Between the Tides and designed by Adele Catchpole and The Prop Company, come and make your mark on our giant colouring-in station.
Penny & The Far Thing: Lempen Puppet Theatre
Sat & Sun 11am & 1.30pm (20 minute show), The Bandstand
An enchanting puppet show set on a penny farthing that celebrates the cycle of the seasons. A charming nature story about growing up and becoming ready to find your path and live your best life. Visual puppet theatre with beautiful music suitable for all.
Sunday 11am
The Fisher and His Wife: Lempen Puppet Theatre
Sat & Sun 12.15pm & 4.30pm (20 minute show), The Bandstand
A very, very long time ago there lived a fisherman, together with his wife, in a small cottage made of dirty old metal. They had everything they ever needed and were happy and content. Then one day a talking fish starts granting them wishes… This is a traditional story from the fairy tale collection of the Brothers Grimm.
Sunday 4.30pm
Bandstand & Boating Lake
The Wishing Tree: Between the Tides & Hullabaloo
Sat & Sun 11am, 12.30pm, 2.30pm, 4pm (25 minute show), The Beacon
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. Created by Greener Lavelle, it’s where animals gather for shelter, songs and stories until they are ready to embark on the rest of their journey.
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!
Bubble Art: Same Difference Arts
Sat & Sun 11.45-12.30pm, 1.45-2.30pm, 3-3.45pm, The Beacon
Come and see our bubbleologist and marvel at some truly spectacularly shaped giant bubbles.
10am
Location Activity
The Whale
Actual Reality Arcade Games
Volo: Dreams of Flight
High Street
Majuba Outside TunedIn!
Majuba Inside TunedIn!
The Boating Lake
Majuba Beach
Majuba Performance Area
Majuba Gardens
The Beacon
Bandstand
Esplanade
Beach Base
Library
Redcar Contemporary
Palace Hub
Circus Skills (Saturday Only)
Fussy Foodies
Minecraft World (Sunday only)
The Show Globe (Sunday Only)
Everywhere’s a Beach Weave
Nanny Girngaw The Sea Witch
Nanny Girngaw Workshops
Windmill Workshops
Mini Sea Monster Workshops
Fizzy Science Sherbet Creation (Sunday only)
Fizzy Science Bath Bomb Creation (Sunday only)
Whippet Up Puppetry Walkabouts/Workshops
Cosplay Experience (Sunday only)
Sling n Sway Workshops (No 11am session on Sun)
Family Dance Workshops
The Sea Monster Lagoon
Colour Creation Station
Sandcastle Creation Workshops
Urban Kaos presents - Silent Beach Disco
Fish Boy Performance (Workshop 2pm)
Seed (Sunday only)
Imaginarium Performance
A la Puppet Carte
The Wishing Tree
Bubble Art
Penny and the Far Thing
The Fisher and His Wife
Chalk Art
Pirates, Parrots, Sires and Seahorses
Lobster A la Cart (Saturday only)
Seaside Stage see pages 23 for line-ups
Pick and Mix Market
Club Groovy - We do like to be beside the seaside
Library Quiet Time (Stories 1-2pm)
Young Persons Summer Exhibition and Workshops
Tonne of Clay Sea Monsters Workshop
Kirkleatham Museum Grounds Luminarium
2Faced Dance Company: Fish Boy
Sat & Sun Show 1.15pm & 3.45pm (45 minute performance) / Workshop 2pm, Majuba Performance Area
Say hello to 2Faced Dance Company and their incredible show Fish Boy.
Follow young Tommy Minton on an unforgettable adventure as he goes on a hunt to discover where his best friend ‘fish’ has gone. Dance, theatre and circus combine in this spectacular performance that celebrates friendship, uncovers what’s polluting our rivers and demonstrates the power of never giving up!
2Faced Dance Company will also be holding a dance workshop after the 1.15pm performance.
all performances
Thingumajig Theatre: A La Puppet Carte
Sat & Sun 12.45pm, 2.30pm & 4.30pm, Majuba Gardens (near car park)
A puppet show full of surprises, fun and a heart-warming story of friendship and home. In The Story of the Scary Noise, a doting daddy finds the unexpected (and adorable) source of a mysterious sound.
Majuba Performance Area
Pif Paf: SEED
Sun only 12.15pm & 3pm (30 minute show), Majuba Performance Area
Cheer on the unlikely hero Wilford in SEED – a wild and anarchic visual and movement based outdoor theatre show by Pif-Paf that looks at our relationship with the long suffering plants that keep us fed, sheltered and breathing.
3pm
Imaginarium Creative Studios: Box of Hope
Sat only 11.15am, Majuba Performance Area
A dramatic dance theatre and spoken word performance by Detonation Warriors that explores what it’s like to be different and celebrates our unique personalities in a world that tries to make us fit in the same box.
Silent Beach Disco: Urban Kaos
Sat & Sun 2pm, 3pm & 4pm (30 minutes), Majuba Beach
Grab a pair of headphones and dance yourself dizzy with Urban Kaos. Our Silent Disco features a soundtrack chosen by young people in Redcar. Expect a proper mash up!
Sandcastle Creation Workshop
Sat & Sun 11-5pm, Majuba Beach
Come and try your hand at creative sandcastle making. It’s amazing what you can sculpt with the right amount of sand and water. Sea creatures, mermaids and dolphins. A prize for the best creations!
Majuba Beach
Chalk Art: THAT Design Studio
Sat & Sun 11-2.30pm & 3-5pm, Esplanade (between The Beacon & Bandstand)
Come and get creative with artist Kat in our pavement art gallery. Chalk yourself a masterpiece in a series of frames between The Beacon and Bandstand.
Bell and Bullock: Pirates, Parrots, Sires and Seahorses
Sat & Sun 11am, 1.30pm & 2.45pm (30 minutes), Esplanade:
Captain Bullock rides a temperamental giant parrot Polly. Meranda, the gorgeous mermaid rides a beautiful seahorse drawn chariot and spreads beauty tips and amorous looks on her quest to find and catch a handsome, unsuspecting sailor in her shrimping net. Will the Captain fall for her scaly seductiveness? Watch out for the ensuing mayhem!
Artizani: Lobster A la Cart
Sat only, 12noon, 2pm & 3.45pm (30 minutes), Esplanade
A 15 foot inflatable lobster isn’t something you see every day! Especially being pulled along on a cart… Artizani’s giant walkabout lobster will be promenading along the esplanade. Watch out for those tentacles - they tickle!
Esplanade
Club Groovy: We Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside
Sat & Sun 10am & 11.30am, Central Library
A daytime dance phenomenon created for the coolest kids and funkiest families, Club Groovy will be bringing their high energy party dances, games and silly shenanigans to Redcar Library on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 August at 10am and 11.30am.
Get groovy at this seaside themed extravaganza with magical mermaids, prance about with pirates and show us your best moves as you dance the morning away.
Please note this is a ticketed event so we can keep an eye on numbers. Tickets priced £3.50 available from www.ticketsource. co.uk/redcar-and-clevelandborough-council
Young Person’s Summer Exhibition and Free Creative Workshops
Sat & Sun 11-5pm, Redcar Contemporary Art Gallery
If you haven’t been to Redcar Contemporary Art Gallery before, now’s your chance as the gallery has curated a Summer Art Exhibition featuring the work of the young people of Redcar & Cleveland. There will also be free, drop-in art workshops.
Various Locations
Quiet Time & Stories
Sat & Sun 12-4pm, Central Library
We know our littlest ones sometimes need some time out, so we’ll have bean bags for naptimes and bottle warming facilities at Redcar Library. You’ll also find baby changing facilities here. Grab a book and have some quiet time.
Storytelling 1-2pm.
Tonne of Clay: Sea Monster Workshop
Sat & Sun 11-3pm, Tees Valley Arts Palace Hub
Come and get messy with Tees Valley Arts with a clay workshop in Redcar’s Palace Hub. Create your own sea monster. Clay and tools provided.
Pick & Mix Market
Sat & Sun 11-5pm, Beach Base at Majuba Beach
Tuck into some tasty treats from some of the region’s best food stalls. We also have plenty of picnic tables if you want to bring your own food along.
Moreburger
Moreburger use only the finest meat. Dry aged, hand reared, grass fed smash patties plus skin on fries.
Flip n Fast Pancakes
Vegan, gluten free crepes. Flipped fresh, choose from a range of sweet or savoury fillings. Wait til you try their salted caramel sauce!
Bakes and Treats Bakery
You’ll be spoiled for choice at Redcar based Bakes & Treats. Lemon meringue blondies? Triple chocolate brownies? Cookies? Yum!
Coastal Bakes
Redcar’s Coastal Bakes’ stuffed cookie menu includes blueberry cheesecake, tropical and smores. Plus caramel stroopwafel, cherry bakewell and snickers cookies. Which one are you choosing?
Blondie Bakery
Blondie Bakery has been ruining diets since 2018. You might have been lucky enough to grab one of their treats at the Kite Festival. We’re delighted they are joining us again at Between the Tides.
Fritz
Fritz chips. A brand new venture and we’re delighted they have chosen Between the Tides as their launch. Loaded fries topped high with a range of delicious toppings.
Fire Pit Pizza
Is there anything finer than a fresh sourdough artisan pizza eaten in the fresh air?
Pacaccino
Festival weary? Need a caffeine boost? Visit Pacaccino’s cute converted horse box for some locally roasted coffee.
Majuba Beach Base
Redcar Beach Base
It’s such a great vibe at Redcar Beach Base this summer and if you haven’t popped down yet then now’s your chance. Enjoy handcrafted loaded burgers and fries or grab a bucket of ice cream and keep the bucket and spade for sandcastle making. Genius!
Thursday 22- Sunday 25 August 10-7pm (on the day tickets available 11am to 5pm), Kirkleatham Museum
We’re delighted to welcome back Architects of Air with another incredible Luminarium installation in the grounds of Kirkleatham Museum.
This is a different structure to last year, so while the magical labyrinth includes more amazing saturated light tunnels and domes, inspiration this year comes from trees.
The Arborialis Luminarium is designed to echo aspects of being lost in a forest – there are radiant canopies of leaves that stretch overhead and vibrant tree trunks rising from the ground beneath.
The incredible visuals are enhanced by the natural and spiritual sounds of the Song of Danu created by Irish composer Dr Michael Morris.
Open Thursday 22 to Sunday 24 August, advance tickets sold out many weeks ago for this but we have lots of on-the-day tickets available from the Box Office in Kirkleatham Museum for sessions from 11am-5pm. Children £3.50/ adults from Redcar & Cleveland £3.50/all other adults £5.50
The Luminarium is wheelchair accessible but prams and pushchairs must be left in the adjacent Buggy Park.
Kirkleatham Museum
Why not leave the car and travel to Redcar by train or bus? Children under 11 travel free on the bus during school holidays!
Parking
Long Stay Pay & Display
Redcar & Cleveland Leisure & Community Heart (under the leisure centre) TS10 1RT. FREE at weekends.
Kirkleatham St TS10 1RT FREE at weekends.
Fisherman’s Square TS10 3BH FREE at weekends.
Turner Street TS10 1AQ : Saturday: First hour free,
£1.20 1 hour to £4.80 all day. Sunday FREE.
Coatham Bowl Car Park TS10
5BJ. First hour free then £1.20 1 hour to £4.80 all day.
Dedicated Disabled Badge Holders
Parking
Literary Institute Car Park TS10 3EN
High Street, Newcomen Terrace, Esplanade, Queen Street
Public Toilets
Moore St (near RNLI Lifeboat Museum)
Beach Base, Majuba Beach
TunedIn! (including a Changing Places toilet)
Redcar Beacon
Between the Tides is programmed and produced by Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council and supported financially by Arts Council England.
We are a touring network partner in Without Walls, a consortium of festivals and arts organisations bringing fantastic outdoor arts events to towns and cities across England.
Our festival summer school was supported by the Department of Education and Bring It On!
Thanks to Host & Stay for their support.
Download your parent’s guide to Between the Tides Festival here:
