World exclusive events, UK premieres and an “iconic” international company hit the east coast as a festival of circus and street arts attracted around 50,000 people.
A world-class programme exploded onto the streets of Great Yarmouth over the weekend as more than 35 companies and 150 performers from 10 nations showcased stunning acrobatics, laugh out loud comedy, street arts, music, circus and slapstick humour.
The Out There Festival, produced by SeaChange Arts, was hailed as “another amazing weekend”, as a national celebration of circus – Circus250 – was marked in style.
The headline show of the Out There International Festival of Circus and Street Arts saw around 5,000 people turn out to line the streets of Yarmouth – many hanging out of windows to watch the parade – for a Saturday Night Spectacular as French street arts specialists Générik Vapeur led a stunning 90-minute evening procession around the town.
The Bivouac250 “world exclusive event” saw Générik Vapeur team up with the UK’s Gorilla Circus for a street show as smoke, flames, pyrotechnics and a sea of blue turned the streets of Yarmouth into a crescendo of noise and colour.
The festival organisers used a cast of 250 local people as the “nomadic, pyrotechnic extravaganza” wove its way through the streets of Yarmouth.
Darren Cross, communications director at SeaChange Arts, said: “The show was brilliant. Everyone was on the streets, hanging out of windows there must have been about 5,000 people watching – and there was a really fantastic, vibrant feel.”
A SeaChange Arts spokesman added: “Starting in St George’s Park and continuing around the streets with a deafening cacophony of oil drums being beaten by 250 blue-headed performers – including many local volunteers – a live and loud funky space rock band on the back of a truck, fierce fire breathing metal dogs and more smoke, pyrotechnics, sparks and fire than Great Yarmouth has seen for years....
“Thousands of people lined the streets and followed the iconic anarchic French street arts specialists to a grand finale by the city walls on Blackfriars Road.”
With organisers receiving “really positive feedback” over the weekend, they are already planning for next year’s festival as they look to continue “the national leader it has become”.
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