Stockton International Riverside Festival (SIRF)

Save the date for Stockton International Riverside Festival (SIRF) returns this summer. The world renowned outdoor arts festival will be full of surprises, skill and spectacle for all the family.

The North East’s biggest FREE to enjoy outdoor arts and street theatre festival will once again be filling the streets of Stockton with music, circus, dance and more. A jam-packed programme from Friday 1 to Sunday 3 August that is certainly not to be missed.

SIRF 25 brings together some of the finest street theatre, dance, music and arts from across the globe, with more than 140 shows taking place over the weekend for all ages, performed by 45 companies.  

Don't miss our incredible Friday launch show Life Lines by celebrated French performers Compagnie Lézards Bleus at 7.15pm in the Town Hall and fountain area.

These daring athletes will captivate the audience by transforming Stockton's architecture into a dynamic stage, scaling buildings, balancing on rooftops and engaging in their environment in ways that defy convention - and gravity!

Then once the sun goes down Múcab Dans Companywill light up the High Street  from 9.30pm with their show Correllums, an energetic, celebratory performance full of dance, laser light, smoke and live music! Correllums is a modern day 'ball de diables', which translates as 'Devils' Dance', a dance tradition which originates from Catalonia. The dazzling show is suitable for all audiences.

The SIRF Community Carnival remains a highlight on Sunday afternoon at 2pm. This year the always colourful carnival will celebrate Stockton's long history of innovation and invention and the Bicentenary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Under the theme 'Whistles, Wheels and Wonders', more than 750 local participants will showcase their marvellous creations as they parade down Stockton High Street in a flood of sound and colour.

Then visitors and carnival-goers can stick around and party, enjoying more family fun, including workshops, live music, dance and live shows before the amazing SIRF finale at 9.30pm, when French company Les Commandos Percu will combine percussion and fireworks to bring SIRF 25 to a spectacular close with the UK premiere of their brand new show Origin.

To view this years jam-packed programme, visit the programme page.