Stockton International Riverside Festival (SIRF)

The spectacular Stockton International Riverside Festival (SIRF) returns this summer, promising fun and exciting entertainment for all the family.

The internationally renowned festival will once again be wowing crowds in Stockton Town Centre with a jam-packed programme from Thursday 3 to Sunday 6 August.

SIRF 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.

For the first time this year our dramatic launch show moves to the Friday, when street theatre company, Cie Bivouac, will perform their breathtaking show Perceptions at 7pm on the High Street. Expect to be mesmerized whilst you are invited to dream of other realities.

A repeat performance on Saturday night at 9.30pm will give you a chance to see it after dark.

But the festival gets underway with a special welcome party on Stockton High Street from 5pm on Thursday with everyone invited.

‘Alive after 5’ features a range of street performers and the return of SIRF Green – the space for tasty eats and garden seats to get you warmed up for the weekend.

Back by popular demand, SIRF Green will once again provide the perfect place to sit and chat with family and friends and enjoy some time-out between shows. And this year it will appear in Trinity Green on the Sunday too!

One show at SIRF 23 is even powered completely by solar energy! Squidsoup’s the Power of Art, will be at Trinity Church over the four days.

The much-loved SIRF Community Carnival returns on the Sunday for a day-long celebration with the procession setting off at 2pm from its traditional start point on Church Road. From schools to local community and health and wellbeing groups plus music and dance groups, even more people are taking part this year so come along to clap, sing and cheer the vibrant procession as it makes its way through Stockton High Street to Trinity Green.

Then visitors and carnival-goers can stick around and party, enjoying some family fun, including workshops, live music, dance and live shows before the amazing aerial finale at 9.30pm.

For more information visit www.sirf.co.uk for full online programme, or download the programme or view the SIRF Map.

Download our car parking map here.

Temporary changes to bus stops can be found here.

Gallery

Prices

Free. Some shows are free but ticketed.

Location

Stockton-on-Tees High Street,

Public Transport Directions

We would encourage visitors to SIRF to choose low-carbon, healthy transport options, and recommend walking or utilising public transport where possible. You can visit Connect Tees Valley site to help you find the best options for your journey. Cycling: There will be free, secure bike storage at our pop up bike park located at SIRF Green. The Hub on Stockton High street also provides free, secure bike storage. Buses: Stockton Town Centre is well served by buses from across the Tees Valley. Visit the Connect Tees Valley website for more information Train: Stockton station is 5 minutes walk from the Town Centre. Thornaby station is just across the river - it’s a 15 minute walk to the Town Centre and there are frequent buses from outside the station as well as a taxi rank. Driving: There is ample car parking within easy walking distance to Stockton Town Centre. Please see the below for a list of the available car parks along with any road and parking restrictions in-place during the festival. All our SIRF23 Festival venues are within walking distance of each other in Stockton Town Centre making it perfect to catch lots of our shows during your visit. We try to ensure that all of the venues we use are as accessible as possible, if you have any access requirements, please call or visit SIRF Central for more information. SIRF Central, Enjoy Stockton-on-Tees, 134b High Street, Stockton-on-Tees TS18 1LP SIRF Central: 01642 528130 CAR PARKING There's plenty of car parking spaces available during SIRF, all within easy reach of Stockton Town Centre and Riverside. A full list of all available Stockton Town Centre public parking is available on the Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council website. Please ensure you park legally and sensibly, whilst adhering to any restrictions in place for the event. Please also be aware of any restrictions and charges in place if parking in a private car park. CAR PARK CLOSURES There will be a small number of car park closures during the festival which can be found on the main SIRF website. TEMPORARY ROAD CLOSURES There will be a small number of road closures in operation for the event. To view the list of road closures visit the Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council website. This year there will be no planned road closure of A1305 Riverside for this year’s festival and will therefore remain open to traffic throughout the weekend.