Countdown to three-day SO Festival of arts

SO Festival brings culture to the pavements, parks and promenades of Skegness and Mablethorpe.

This year’s programme includes six UK premiers, all part of a great programme of performances from local, UK-wide and European artists. Visitors can also join in and try everything from aerial acrobatics workshops, to custom written poems, to talks and discussions covering contemporary issues in the arts.The SO Festival programme features theatre, puppetry, dance, comedy and acrobatics.

It is designed to take audiences on a journey of discovery, away from the everyday, to experience unique and inspirational performances.

All performances and activities are free and accessible, creating a place for families and friends to enjoy, spend time together and make memories.

SO Festival has worked with communities to co-create art for the festival, creating opportunities for local people to enjoy the many benefits of engaging and participating in the arts.

An example of this is this year’s SO Listen, the result of The Coastal Communities project which began as a conversation between some professional writers, and a range of community groups in Mablethorpe and Skegness.

Discussions about the area, about where they live, work, go to school, resulted in a series of poems. Visitors will be able to hear the resulting poems, read by the writers, in Mablethorpe Queen’s Park and Promenade.SO Festival is produced by Magna Vitae, a Lincolnshire based charitable trust, with funding support from Arts Council England and East Lindsey District Council.

Magna Vitae Trust for Leisure and Culture is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation and strategic partner to East Lindsey District Council. Other key partners for SO Festival 2024 are Basque Culture Institute, Embassy Theatre Skegness, PASSAGE Festival and Helsingør Teater.SO Festival takes place in Skegness on Friday, June 14, and Saturday, June 15, and in Mablethorpe on Sunday, June 16.For more information, visit sofestival.org.