SIRF 23: Here's everything you need to know to have a free, fun-filled festival!

This year's Stockton International Riverside Festival returns to Stockton on Thursday.

The popular festival will see Stockton's town centre and Trinity Green play host to free street theatre, dance, music and outdoor arts.

There are shows, installations, workshops and so many things to see and do, plus the SIRF Community Carnival, a family favourite.

Councillor Steve Nelson, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council's Cabinet Member for Health, Leisure and Culture, said: "With more than 50,000 people expected to visit SIRF across the four days, now's the time to plan your festival to make the most of your experience. Take a look at this year's programme and choose which of the fabulous range of acts you'd like to see, which of the tasty food stalls are tempting you and plan your journey now for a relaxed experience. And remember to keep tuned to the SIRF social media accounts for news and up to date information throughout the week."

Here's your guide to the festival:

What is SIRF?

Stockton International Riverside Festival, SIRF, is one of the biggest highlights in the Borough's annual event calendar. It attracts tens of thousands of people to the town each year to enjoy amazing experiences.  

SIRF23 brings together some of the best street theatre, dance, music and outdoor arts, with more than 150 shows taking place over the weekend which are all free to enjoy. There'll be something to entertain everyone.

When is it on?

SIRF23 kicks off on Thursday (3 August) and runs through to Sunday (6 August).

Is there anything different this year?

Yes, the festival will get underway with a special welcome party 'Alive after 5' on Stockton High Street from 5pm on Thursday. The party will feature a range of street performers and the return of SIRF Green which will once again provide the perfect place to sit and chat with family and friends.

For the first time this year the dramatic launch show moves to the Friday evening. Street theatre company, Cie Bivouac, will perform their breath-taking show Perceptions at 7pm on the High Street. A repeat performance on Saturday night at 9.30pm will give people a chance to see it after dark too!

The SIRF Community Carnival returns on the Sunday for a day-long celebration with the procession setting off at 2pm. There'll be 750 people taking part this year so watch the vibrant procession as it makes its way through Stockton High Street to Trinity Green.

Then visitors and carnival-goers can stay at Trinity Green where there will be family fun, including workshops, live music, dance and live shows before the amazing SIRF23 finale at 9.30pm. This year's finale is a truly spectacular high flying acrobatic show, Pigments from CirkVOST, taking place 15 metres above ground!

As usual there will be a whole host of family-friendly fun and quirky performances throughout Friday, Saturday and Sunday with the action starting around 1pm each day.

Is SIRF free?

Yes - all of the SIRF23 shows are free this year but some are ticketed due to limited capacity. These are clearly marked in the programme.

They are: Ducks & Dragons; Circus Skills Workshop; The Frame; Crow, Roma, and the Juggling Workshop.

Tickets are free and available to collect each day two hours before the start of each show or activity starts.

They can be collected from SIRF Central (the Enjoy Stockton-on-Tees shop) on Stockton High Street, on a first come, first served basis.

For the rest of the shows you can simply turn up and enjoy!

What will there be to eat and drink?

Visitors to SIRF22 gave the festival's new food and drink village a thumbs-up last year so festival goers will be pleased to hear SIRF Green is returning, providing a perfect place to pick up some tasty food, drinks and relax between shows.

SIRF Green will be based on Bishop Street car park. And this year there will be a SIRF Green on Trinity Green on the Sunday too!

There's something for everyone's taste buds with Korean and Indian food, gourmet cakes, crepes and waffles, woodfired pizzas and more. You'll also be able to buy themed cocktails, alcohol-free mocktails, coffees and teas.

For opening hours, details of the traders and entertainment visit the SIRF website.

What's the best way to get there?

Visitors are encouraged to walk or cycle into town or use public transport wherever possible. Free bike storage is available.

Visit the Connect Tees Valley website to help you find the best options for your journey.

If you're visiting by car please note some car parks are closed during the festival. This includes half the Riverside Car Park as well as High Street, Shambles, Bishop Street, Dairy, Parliament Street and Municipal car parks.

There are still many parking options with hundreds of spaces available within a short walking distance of the town centre and Trinity Green. For full list of car parks and a useful map visit the SIRF website.

The Riverside Road (A1305) will not be closed during this year's festival and will therefore remain open to traffic throughout the weekend. However, there will be other road closures in place in order for us to host the festival safely. To view a full list of the road closures taking place over the festival, 

Is SIRF accessible?

SIRF has a proud history of supporting disabled and disabled-friendly artists and there's a range of services on offer to help people with disabilities access performance sites and accessible viewing areas.

These include a "buddy service" to provide visitors with a guide to escort them around key performance sites and wristbands to enter accessible viewing areas. Early booking is strongly recommended.

This year some SIRF acts feature British Sign Language interpretation as part of the show and there's also a new app called the Difference Engine will allow deaf and hard-of-hearing audience members to receive captions on their own mobile devices.

For audience members with visual impairments, the following shows will have audio introductions to be listened to ahead of your festival visit:

• James Taylor with Dave Lovatt - Ducks & Dragons
• Murmuration Arts - A Lullaby For Stockton
• Tit for Tat - Books!
• She Said Jump - The Guy in the Luggage Rack
• Pif-Paf - Toast
• Avanti Display - Crow
• Unlimited Theatre and Upswing - Ancient Futures

To find out more and to book visit the SIRF website, call 01642 605676 or visit SIRF Central (the Enjoy Stockton-on-Tees shop) on the High Street for more information.

Where can I get SIRF updates during the festival?

Be sure to follow the festival's social media channels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with any changes.

Use the #SIRF23 hashtag on your posts from the festival and you could see them featured online.

I need more information, where should I go?

Visit the SIRF website.

If you need information or help during the festival ask the friendly SIRF Visitor Experience team - you'll see them wearing the orange SIRF t-shirts - or head to SIRF Central.

SIRF is a National Portfolio Organisation supported and funded by Arts Council England.

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