Juice – NewcastleGateshead’s award-winning festival for children and young people has announced its exciting programme of events for this year’s festival, which starts on Wednesday 20 October and runs until Sunday 31 October 2010.
Now in its third year, Juice Festival presents ten days of performances, workshops, events and exhibitions that celebrate the creativity of children and young people. Juice Festival also presents work from internationally acclaimed artists that encourage children and their families to take part.
Rachel Adam, Director of Juice Festival said: “Led by NewcastleGateshead Initiative working with partners across NewcastleGateshead we’ve put together a programme of events that has something for everyone this October half term.
There are events created by children and young people, events for all the family and a series of free events that celebrate Halloween, all presented in the world-class venues, facilities and open air locations that makes this place such a brilliant place to live, grow up in and visit.”
WORK BY YOUNG PEOPLE (highlights)
Juice Festival begins with an exhibition of photography at The Discovery Museum entitled, Photomapping Our World (Wednesday 20 October – Sunday 2 January 2011). Pupils at St Aidan’s Church of England Primary School in Gateshead worked with acclaimed photographers Gideon Mendel and Crispin Hughes to create an exhibition of photographs, all taken by the pupils, which document their lives; anything from pictures of their families, pets, home and local environment.
A smash hit at last year’s Juice Festival, Young Ranters (Saturday 23 & Sunday 24; Tuesday 26 October) returns as more young people get on their soap box for a two minute pre-prepared rant on topics of their choice. Hosted by improv comedy group The Suggestibles, each 50 minute event gives thirty young people from Gateshead Youth Theatre, Northern Stage and The Sage Gateshead the opportunity to tell a live audience what they really think and feel.
OPPORTUNITIES TO TAKE PART (highlights)
It’s time to channel your inner Bboy and Bgirl in the explosive Hip Hop and breakdance event, Just Jam Weekend (Saturday 23 & Sunday 24 October) at Dance City, Newcastle. Join the UK Breakdance Champions Bad Taste Cu for a series of workshops and then watch some of the region’s best Bboys and Bgirls strut their stuff in a live performance. The weekend comes to a close with the Just Jam International Battle (Sunday 24 October), featuring 12 North East Bboys and 32 of the top UK Bboys and four special guests from Europe. This is one Hip Hop battle you don’t want to miss!
Whaletone Opera (Friday 22, Sunday 24 – Thursday 28 October) at The Sage Gateshead gives young people and their families the chance to take part in the UK premiere of a new community theatre piece. Performed in four acts across four days, Whaletone is a funny, dynamic and adventurous project involving banana cake, a Jamaican cow and a hippopotamus.
FOR ALL THE FAMILY (highlights)
The Tate Movie Truck (Saturday 23 – Monday 25 October) is the first project of its kind in the UK. Children aged 5-13 have the chance to contribute their ideas to an animated movie made by and for children from all over the UK. The finished film will be screened on the BBC and in cinemas in 2011. The Tate Movie Truck will be positioned in Times Square, Newcastle and is free to attend. Advanced booking via Northern Stage is recommended.
Urban Playground and Gravity Style, the pioneers of performance parkour (free-running) make a triumphant return to Juice Festival in a brand new performance, commissioned by Juice Festival, Brighton Festival & Dome and Without Walls. The Next Level (Saturday 30 October) is free to attend, and will be performed on Saturday 30 October, 3pm on Baltic Square (in case of rain, 6pm at The Sage Gateshead).
A popular children’s book is brought to life at Gateshead Old Town Hall as Theatre Hullabaloo present The Night Pirates (Friday 29 October & Saturday 30 October). Young Tom wakes up to discover a group of Girl Pirates stealing the front of his house, what follows is a moonlight adventure featuring puppets, music and songs from ballet-dancing pirates. The book’s illustrator Deborah Allwright will be showing audiences how she created the characters after every show.
Free and for all the family to enjoy is Family Fun at Five Fantastic Museums (Monday 25, Wednesday 27 & Thursday 28 October). Great North Museum: Hancock, The Hatton Gallery, Laing Art Gallery, Discovery Museum and Shipley Art Gallery go Juice crazy with special Juice festival activities. Discover the amazing world of night time animals, join in Water Colour Day and design and print your own pirate flag and bandana.
HALLOWEEN (highlights)
As the nights draw in and thoughts turn to all things spooky, Juice Festival’s Halloween events make the perfect family adventure with pumpkin carving, a Halloween themed parade and a guest appearance from Beastie!
Who’s that hiding in the corner? What’s that moving in the trees? Did you see what I saw? Look out for Beastie (Friday 29 – Sunday 31 October) around NewcastleGateshead in this brand new participatory performance for children aged 6-10. Presented by acclaimed theatre company, Lone Twin, each Beastie outing last 90 minutes.
Halloween just wouldn’t be the same without a ghoulish, carved pumpkin. BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art hosts Happy Halloween Pumpkin Carving (Friday 29 – Sunday 31 October) with a thousand pumpkins ready to be made into Halloween lanterns. Join a team of professional artists in your best fancy dress costume at this free event and prepare your pumpkin for the Juice Festival Finale Parade.
Celebrate the final day of Juice Festival with your Halloween Pumpkin in the Juice Festival Finale Parade (Sunday 31 October). Perfect for all the family, participants will be led on the parade across the Gateshead Millennium Bridge and the NewcastleGateshead quaysides by performers from Northern Stage and musicians from The Sage Gateshead. Meet on Baltic Square at 3.30pm in your best Halloween fancy dress and wave goodbye to Juice Festival 2010 in style.
Carol Bell, Head of Culture and Major Events at NewcastleGateshead Initiative said: “Juice is one of NewcastleGateshead Initiative’s lead events and we work hard with partners in all the cultural venues in NewcastleGateshead as well as regional, national and international cultural partners to ensure there are a wide range of events for children and young people – and their families – to enjoy and engage with.
“Youth engagement is a very important aspect of this year’s event and we are delighted that more and more young people are taking part and contributing to the creation of the Juice Festival.”
Juice – NewcastleGateshead’s award-winning festival for children and young people aged 0-18 takes place from Wednesday 20 – Sunday 31 October 2010. The 10 day festival showcases outstanding work created by children and young people as well as a family friendly programme delivered by regional, national and international artists. For more information, please visit: www.juicefestival.co.uk
Juice is developed and produced by NewcastleGateshead Initiative as part of its high quality, distinctive and family-friendly festivals and events programme. Juice was awarded Event of the Year in The Journal Culture Awards 2009.
-ENDS-
For further information, interview requests, images etc, please contact David Brookbanks, Media & PR Manager for NewcastleGateshead Initiative on 0191 440 5740 / 07946 581 417 or email david.brookbanks@ngi.org.uk