Artists and Performers set to make a Big Splash in Newport

Railroad Bill

Newport festival ‘The Big Splash’ returns to the city centre this weekend for its seventh year with a line up of free street theatre, music and family activities across Saturday and Sunday.

Over twenty top class performing companies from across the UK and beyond will be bringing over fifty free street theatre shows to the city centre, from high wire, slapstick, dance, and fantastic walkabouts. Performers including Stopgap Dance Company, Nofit State, 2Faced Dance and Les Enfants Terrible, will perform at Newport Live’s The Riverfront Theatre & Arts Centre, following the river down to the University of South Wales City Centre Campus, and at Friars Walk and Commercial Street.

A wide range of free workshops and activities will also take place throughout the two days, hosted at The Riverfront, thanks to sponsors Western Power Distribution. For Under 5s, Newport Live’s Tiny Tots will be putting on soft play, free play and sports activities in the Dance Studio across both days, and The Flying Start team take over the mezzanine with creative play throughout.

Flossy and Boo will host a number of English and Welsh workshops at The Riverfront, diving into stories and adventures, presenting them through the magical art of Theatre. NoFit State will be running circus skills workshops alongside their performances on Saturday and Sunday, as they transform Newport’s Big Splash into a hive of immersive circus activity where anything and everything can happen, and plenty for the whole family to take part in and enjoy.

More opportunities come from Wheel Acrobatics, or ‘Rhönrad’; a spectacular acrobatic discipline in which the performer executes tricks inside and around a rolling wheel. Invented in Germany, it has thrived there as a gymnastic sport since 1925, more recently gaining international exposure due to its growing popularity in circus performance.

Les Enfants Terrible

Participants are invited to have a go at this amazing and unusual sport in this beginner’s introduction workshop, led by experienced wheel performers. Join in the fun at Usk Plaza on Saturday, or at John Frost Square on Sunday.

As well as theatre workshops, the Grow Wild Team, funded by the Kew Gardens Grow Wild Project, will also be out on The Riverfront terrace on both days offering some hands on gardening experiences for all the family.

There will also be free music from Railroad Bill on Saturday, who will perform two sets of skiffle classics on washboard, tea chest and guitar at Usk Plaza awhile on Sunday, 25 piece Wonderbrass will play three sets of Ska, funk and soul fusion at The Riverfront, Friars Walk and Riverwalk.

To find out more about The Big Splash, including schedules for the weekend and details of the workshops and companies at the festival, visit www.bigsplashnewport.com. To follow the festival on Twitter @BigSplashFest and like the Facebook page at facebook.com/bigsplashnewport