For the second year running, Gosport Cultural Consortium, a partnership led by Hampshire Cultural Trust with representatives from a number of organisations from across Gosport, will be hosting their Give it a Go festival. The festival encourages members of the public to have a go at creative activities as diverse as willow craft and circus skills, jewellery making and felting, all on offer free of charge to anyone who wants to give it a go. The activities have been inspired by Gosport’s rich social history, fascinating facts and tall tales, including the beast of Haslar Lake and the peculiar Gillicker weevil, which are all featured in a series of specially commissioned postcards by local artist, Emma Paxton. Give it a Go takes place on the High Street from 11:00am – 3:00pm and from 11:00am – 3:30pm at Gosport Museum and Art Gallery and the town’s Discovery Centre.
The day’s celebrations will culminate at 3:30pm, when the vibrant carnival celebration that is Hi! Street Fest arrives in town. Farrah the curious fox will visit Gosport as part of her travels across the country this summer to explore high streets and the people who love and look after them. She will be welcomed by Deeps, a giant diver puppet that embodies Gosport’s maritime past, and together they will discover and celebrate what makes Gosport special.
Taller than a double-decker bus, Farrah is a five-metre mechanical puppet animated by two puppeteers from the inside, designed by Tony Mason and made by artists from Emergency Exit Arts. In the lead up to the event, a giant diving helmet has been on its own roadshow ion the area, visiting Elson Infant School Fete, Gosport Museum and Art Gallery and – very appropriately – the Diving Museum. Deeps the diver puppet was made by Em Spoor who ran free activity sessions that accompanied the diving helmet’s local tour, with participants adding messages of their hope for the future of the high street to the inside of the helmet as well as creating Gosport inspired patches for his outfit. Jo Morley, who has created a stunning linocut of Gosport high street which will feature on flags during the parade, also delivered a series of free activities.
As the puppets move along the high street, Farrah will be given gifts from different community groups and bring people together in a magical procession. The gifts will range from a unique performance combining maritime messaging with contemporary dance and samba drumming, to sea shanties and a traditional hornpipe. The route features decorated, sea-themed windows by those businesses participating in Give it a Go and form a trail along the high street.
The event is part of Hi! Street Fest, a landmark, nationwide commission with Emergency Exit Arts (EEA) and the exciting culmination of Historic England’s major cultural programme across England’s high streets, supported using public funding by Arts Council England.
Ellen Harrison, Head of Creative Programmes and Campaigns at Historic England, said: “Hi! Street Fest in Gosport is going to be a huge event and a fantastic celebration of the town. This joyous community event will bring so many people together in the vibrant performances, or for a day out to see this wonderful spectacle. It’s the perfect way to celebrate the revitalisation of the historic heart of Gosport.”
Daniel Bernstein, CEO of Emergency Exit Arts, said: “Emergency Exit Arts has been co-creating with communities for 43 years. We are loving working on this important national project in close partnership with Historic England. Hi! Street Fest has given hundreds of local people new opportunities in each place to get engaged in putting these events on in their high street and help make a real long-term difference to their place.
“We are so excited to bring spectacle in the puppet form of Farrah, but also excited about the development opportunities for local people to put on more events in their place. In each place, we have trained community producers, developed carnival bands and helped each place determine their own special host mascot puppet who we hope will make appearances for years to come. This is what EEA does best: enabling people, enhancing places and astonishing audiences.”
Hi! Street Fest Gosport programme
- 3:30pm, Ferry Gate: Farrah the fox arrives and will travel up the High Street to meet the parade, accompanied by a fanfare from the band of the Royal Marines Volunteer Cade Corps
- 3:38pm, Halifax Bank: Farrah joins the parade and processes to receive gifts from the town of Gosport
- 3:47pm, Imagination Refinery: gift one from Steppin’ Up and Big Noise Samba Band
- 3:57pm, St Mary’s Church, gift two from Solent Youth Choir and The Powder Monkeys
- 4:07pm, Santander bank; gift three, a traditional hornpipe dance
- 4:28pm, Lawrence Square; grand finale
Hi! Street Fest
Hi! Street Fest is Historic England’s largest and final commission as part of the High Streets Heritage Action Zones’ Cultural Programme, the widest-reaching, community-led arts and heritage programme for the public that has ever been organised. It is led by Historic England in partnership with Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund to revitalise high streets across England.
Hi! Street Fest is an ambitious project, aiming to bring together people and place to support bright futures for high streets. Across the country, Hi! Street Fest will engage over 1,000 people in the development of these events, with hours of community participation through outreach and workshops.
High Streets Heritage Action Zones’ Cultural Programme
The High Streets Heritage Action Zones’ Cultural Programme is drawing people to their high streets, changing their perceptions of their local areas and helping them to feel more part of their community. To date it has reached 180,000 people and counting.
As a result of attending previous cultural events, 66% of audiences feel more part of their community and 83% of people feel more positive that the high street is a place where they can experience culture and arts.
This project aims to reimagine the high street, attract visitors and bring people together to celebrate each high street’s different culture. Our research found that 64% of audiences said previous cultural activity as part of this programme was the main reason they visited their high street, and that 80% of audiences visited local shops, cafés and businesses before or after they attended the cultural programme activity.
Previous events have resulted in 79% of people having a greater sense of pride of the high street and local area. Hi! Street Fest aims to continue this work, encouraging the long-term development of locally-driven creativity in each area and increasing opportunities for people to visit and to engage with their high streets