The next Awakening will take place
22 - 23 March 2025
‘Like a tide of water in the sky, fire and magic below’
The Hull Story
A welcome addition to Hull’s cultural calendar, The Awakening is Freedom Festival Arts Trust’s new festival, drawing on themes of Hull's maritime identity, folklore, and mythology
The festival purposefully takes place in March, as close to the Spring Equinox as possible, to create a narrative of the city’s communities moving from Winter to Spring, and to become a new tradition for the city curated as a mischievous, playful, accessible, and very creative event. The festival welcomes people to the city centre, to experience a magical blend of ancient traditions brought to life by atmospheric light installations, sculptures, and theatrical street performances.
In 2022 the first edition of The Awakening took place, as we all moved away from lockdown and restrictions, welcoming nearly 100,000 people back to the streets of the city centre to experience the magic of a Winter festival steeped in folklore and tradition.
The second edition in 2023 built on 2022’s success. With more installations and street performances, and drawing bigger crowds to the city, The Awakening is certainly cemented as one of the must-see events of the year.
2022 Gallery
2023 Gallery
The Awakening 2023 is a finalist for Remarkable Tourist Event of the Year at the
REYTAs.