Lincolnshire welcomes top European artists at SO festival

30 Aug 2019 11:34 AM

Tens of thousands of people are set to experience a free three-day cultural spectacular this weekend in Mablethorpe and Skegness – thanks to investment from Arts Council England.

Hikapee - Look Up

Following last year’s successful event with more than 40,000 visitors, the 2019 SO Festival will feature Italian artist La Fabiola, French clowns Super Super, Denmark’s Passepartout Theatre Productions and street theatre company Albedo.

With a total of 17 acts performing throughout the weekend, the historic links between the Lincolnshire coast and the Danes are being celebrated and internationally recognised and Danish artistic director Jens Frimann Hansen is bringing some of the best European artists to perform to audiences on the East coast alongside UK acts.

Woest - Leaving Normal. Passage Festival

Supported by Without Walls, an organisation dedicated to raising the profile of the outdoor arts sector, SO 2019 is also getting local people and community groups involved with performances, workshops, and opportunities to get creative. There is also a dedicated area for visitors with disabilities, life altering conditions or special educational needs, as well as their family and carers, to relax and refresh.

Throughout the last decade, SO has grown to become one of the UK’s largest outdoor cultural and arts festivals of its kind with funding from Arts Council and East Lindsey District Council enabling its organisation by the Magna Vitae Trust for Leisure and Culture. With ongoing support from Arts Council, the festival has brought in £600,000 to the local economy each year since 2009, attracting hundreds of thousands of festival-goers in that time.

Mablethorpe - children enjoying Flycycle and submercycle at SO Festival 2016.

Peter Knott, Area Director for Arts Council England, said:

“We’re proud to have supported SO Festival for more than 10 years, and it’s great to see it continuing to showcase local talent alongside international performers, ranging from circus and Shakespeare, to puppetry and outer space.

“SO has become a key event in the cultural calendar, bringing work from across Europe to Mablethorpe and Skegness, creating a truly memorable experience for locals and holiday makers alike.”

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SO’s artistic director Jens Frimann said:

“We are excited about this year’s SO, we are always working on establishing a dialogue with the town, its people and tourists. Our hope this year is that people will take a chance, to come along and see something new, something that they may think would not ordinarily appeal to them. We guarantee that everything is of the very best quality.”