The Big Malarkey Festival is back in East Park on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 June 2026 with a whole host of fabulous authors, dancers, illustrators, actors and musicians.
This year our festival theme is 'It's a Mystery!' and we'll be filling the park with puzzles, collecting clues, dressing up in disguises and exploring some of the best and most fun mysteries in the City!
THE BIG MALARKEY FESTIVAL PROGRAMME 2026
SATURDAY 20 JUNE 2026 // 10AM - 5PM
| TIME | EVENT | AGE | VENUE | ACTIVITY |
| 10.00 - 12.00 | Artlink Explorers In Libraries | All | Make It Take It | Art |
| 10.00 - 1.00 | Drake Music | 6+ | Experi-tent | Music |
| 10.00 - 5.00 | Magical Mystery Star Trail | All | Library Tent | Mission |
| 10.00 - 5.00 | Rewilding Youth | All | Parisi Village | Bush crafts |
| 10.00 - 5.00 | BookLove | All | BookLove | Bookshop |
| 10.00 - 5.00 | Noisy, Noisy, Noise | All | Picnic Area | Installation |
| 10.00 - 5.00 | Calvin Innes and friends | 6+ | Doodle Room | Drawing |
| 10.00 - 5.00 | Squarepeg Disguises | All | Make It Take It | Art |
| 10.00 - 5.00 | Memorabubble | All | Malarkey Park | Bubbles |
| 10.00 - 5.00 | Concrete Youth | All | Wonderland | Sensory Story |
| 10.00 - 5.00 | Beats Bus | All | Beats Bus | Music |
| 10.00 - 5.00 | Hull Museums and History Centre | All | Big Top Tables | Heritage and crafts |
| 10.00 - 5.00 | Rabbit Hole Bookshop | All | Rabbit Hole | Bookshop |
| 10.00 - 5.00 | Curiosity Corner | All | Thought Bubble | Art |
| 10.00 - 5.00 | Chess | All | Kaleidoscope | Chess and games |
| 10.00 - 5.00 | The Hidden Playground | All | Top Secret | Secret Play Mission |
| 10.00 - 5.00 | Makerspace | All | Makerspace | Digital Art |
| 10.00 - 5.00 | Ed Hurst and Hull University | 7+ | Let's Write | Creative Writing |
| 10.30 - 11.45 | Pauline Quirk Academy * | 5+ | Big Top | Theatre Show |
| 10.30 - 12.00 | Hull Truck Theatre | 4+ | Live and Kicking | Theatre |
| 11.00 - 11.40 | Martin Harwood | 0 - 6 | Little Larkeys | Music |
| 11.00 - 12.00 | Samantha Williams | All | BookLove | writing |
| 11.00 - 12.00 | Guess Who with Michelle Robinson | 6+ | Let's Write | Creative Writing |
| 11.00 - 12.00 | Ben Rothery | 5+ | Doodle Room | Drawing |
| 11.15 - 12.00 | Eden Storyteller | All | Malarkey Park | Storytelling |
| 12.00 - 12.45 | Salomey Doku | 0 - 6 | Little Larkeys | Storytelling |
| 12.00 - 1.00 | Liz Million * | 6+ | Big Top | Drawalong |
| 12.30 - 1.15 | Malarkey Choir and Gallery * | all | Live and Kicking | Theatre |
| 12.30 - 1.30 | Eric Huang | 6+ | Doodle Room | Drawing |
| 12.30 - 2.30 | Amazing Mazes | All | Make It Take It | Art |
| 12.30 - 1.15 | Mariesa Dulak | All | BookLove | Meet The Author |
| 12.45 - 1.30 | Circo Rum Ba Ba L'Hotel | All | Malarkey Park | Acrobatic Theatre Show |
| 1.15 - 2.15 | Simon Packham | 9+ | Let's write | Meet The Author |
| 1.20 - 2.20 | Michelle Robinson * | 5+ | Big Top | Meet The Author |
| 1.45 - 2.40 | PQA Poppets | 0 - 6 | Little Larkeys | Dramatic Play |
| 1.45 - 2.45 | Disability Taskmaster * | All | Live and Kicking | Interactive Game Show |
| 2.00 - 5.00 | Creative & Tech Superstars | 5+ | Experi-tent | Digital Art |
| 2.00 - 3.00 | Mariesa Dulak | All | BookLove | Meet The Author |
| 2.10 - 3.10 | Salomey Doku | 7+ | Doodle Room | Drawing |
| 2.15 - 3.00 | Eden Storyteller | All | Malarkey Park | Storytelling |
| 2.30 - 3.30 | Kate Thompson | 7+ | Let's Write | Meet The Author |
| 2.40 - 3.40 | Sharna Jackson * | 8+ | Big Top | Meet The Author |
| 3.00 - 3.40 | Martin Harwood | 0 - 6 | Little Larkeys | Music |
| 3.00 - 5.00 | Cyanotype Prints | All | Make It Take It | Art |
| 3.30 - 5.00 | Hull Truck Theatre | 4+ | Live and Kicking | Theatre |
| 3.30 - 4.30 | Kev F Sutherland | 7+ | Doodle Room | Drawing |
| 3.45 - 4.45 | Ben Rothery | 6+ | Let's write | Meet The Author |
| 3.45 - 4.45 | Joseph Elliott * | 7+ | Big Top | Meet The Author |
| 4.00 - 4.45 | Circo Rum Ba Ba L'Hotel | All | Malarkey Park | Acrobatic Theatre Show |
| 4.00 - 5.00 | Samantha Williams | All | BookLove | Writing |
| 4.15 - 4.45 | Rainbow of Emotions | All | Little Larkeys | Drawing |
SUNDAY 21 JUNE 2026 // 10AM - 5PM
| TIME | EVENT | AGE | VENUE | ACTIVITY |
| 10.00 - 12.00 | Artlink Explorers in Libraries | All | Make It Take It | Art |
| 10.00 -1.00 | Creative & Tech Superstars | 6+ | INIT Creative | Digital Art |
| 10.00 - 5.00 | Magical Mystery Star Trail | all | Malarkey Park | Mission |
| 10.00 - 5.00 | Curiosity Corner | All | Thought Bubble | Drawing |
| 10.00 - 5.00 | Rewilding Youth | All | Parisi Village | Bushcrafts |
| 10.00 - 5.00 | Booklove | All | Booklove | Bookshop |
| 10.00 - 5.00 | Noisy, Noisy, Noise | All | Picnic Area | Installation |
| 10.00 - 5.00 | Concrete Youth | All | Wonderland | Sensory Story |
| 10.00 - 5.00 | Beats Bus | All | Beats Bus | Music |
| 10.00 - 5.00 | Hull Museums and History Centre | All | Big Top Tables | Heritage and crafts |
| 10.00 - 5.00 | Rabbit Hole | All | Rabbit Hole | Bookshop |
| 10.00 - 5.00 | Chess | All | Kaliedoscope | Chess and games |
| 10.00 - 5.00 | The Hidden Playground | All | Top Secret | Secret Play Mission |
| 10.00 - 5.00 | Makerspace | All | Makerspace | Digital Art |
| 10.00 - 5.00 | Calvin and friends | 6+ | Doodle Room | Drawing |
| 10.00 - 12.00 | Ed Hurst and Hull Uni | 7+ | Let's write | Creative Writing |
| 10.00 - 5.00 | Squarepeg Disguises | All | Make It Take It | Art |
| 10.00 - 2.30 | Memorabubble | All | Malarkey Park | Bubbles |
| 10.30 - 11.00 | Samantha Williams | All | Booklove | Writing |
| 10.30 - 11.15 | Eden Storyteller | All | Live and Kicking | Storytelling |
| 10.40 - 11.40 | Steve Webb * | All | Big Top | Meet the author |
| 11.00 - 11.40 | Musical Curiosities | All | Little Larkeys | Musical Story |
| 11.00 - 12.00 | Tasneem - Haunted House | 5+ | Doodle Room | Drawing |
| 11.45 - 12.30 | Pauline Quirk Academy | 7+ | Live and Kicking | Drama |
| 12.00 - 12.45 | Fleur Hitchcock | 7+ | Let's Write | Meet the author |
| 12.00 - 13.00 | Mariesa Dulak * | All | Big Top | Meet the author |
| 12.15 - 1.15 | Kate Thompson | 5+ | Doodle Room | Drawing |
| 12.15 - 1.30 | Little Movers | 0 - 2 | Little Larkeys | Dance |
| 12.30 - 2.30 | Wollstonecraft Society | All | Make It Take It | Art |
| 12.45 - 1.30 | L'Hotel | All | Malarkey Park | Theatre Performance |
| 1.00 - 1.45 | Philippa Leathley | 7+ | Let's write | Meet the author |
| 1.30 - 2.30 | Ben Rothery | 6+ | Doodle Room | Drawing |
| 1.30 - 2.30 | Kev F Sutherland * | All | Big Top | Meet the author |
| 1.45 - 2.30 | Catherine Jacob | 0 - 6 | Little Larkeys | Meet the author |
| 1.45 - 2.45 | Slugageddon * | All | Live and Kicking | Interactive Theatre |
| 2.00 - 5.00 | Drake Music | 6+ | Experi-tent | Accessible Music |
| 2.00 - 2.45 | Scarlet Li | 6+ | Let's Write | Meet the author |
| 2.00 - 3.00 | Samantha Williams | 6+ | Booklove | writing |
| 2.40 - 3.55 | Manga Detectives | 5+ | Doodle Room | Drawing |
| 2.45 - 3.45 | Chris White * | All | Big Top | Meet the author |
| 3.00 - 3.30 | Slugageddon Workshop | 5+ | Live and Kicking | Theatre |
| 3.00 - 3.40 | Musical Curiosities | All | Little Larkeys | Musical Story |
| 3.00 - 5.00 | Jon Keene | All | Make It Take It | Art |
| 3.15 - 4.15 | Paul Cookson | 7+ | Let's Write | Poetry |
| 3.45 - 4.30 | Eden Storyteller | All | Live and Kicking | Storytelling |
| 4.00 - 4.45 | L'Hotel | All | Malarkey Park | Theatre Performance |
| 4.10 - 4.50 | Little Movers | 3 - 7 | Little Larkeys | Dance |
| 4.00 - 5.00 | Wollstonecraft Society | All | Doodle Room | Drawing |
| 4.00 - 5.00 | Memorabubble * | All | Big Top | Bubble Show |