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Humber Street Sesh bounces back for summer 2026 following uncertainty about its future

Award-winning grassroots festival will return in August

[05/05/26 - Humber Street Sesh festival is back for 2026 following uncertainty about its future. Picture - Kamil Liston Photography]

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Humber Street Sesh is back for 2026 (Image: Kamil Listwan Photography)

The award-winning grassroots festival for emerging music, Humber Street Sesh, is set to return to Hull Marina, after narrowly avoiding closure due to financial pressures affecting festivals across the UK. Following uncertainty over the festivals future, driven by rising operational costs, declining sponsorship and the wider cost-of-living crisis, organisers have launched a new community interest company (CIC).

This new structure will hopefully allow the festival to access grant funding and create a more sustainable future, ensuring that sponsorship, funding, and donations are directly reinvested back into the local community. A limited number of discounted tickets are on sale from today (Wednesday, May 6) for Humber Street Sesh, which will take place on Saturday, August 1.

Thanks to the support of key partners including Hull City Council, Hull Business Angels, and Hull Trains, Humber Street Sesh is moving forward but its long-term future still depends on continued backing from local businesses and the wider community. Kath Wynne-Hague, head of service, culture, place and city centre, at Hull City Council, said: Humber Street Sesh plays a vital role in delivering Hulls Music Plan.

It provides a proven platform for emerging artists to perform, develop audiences and build professional experience, while strengthening the citys grassroots music ecology. Mark Burley, social value and partnerships manager at Keepmoat, said: Humber Street Sesh is a unique opportunity for residents, visitors, businesses, and local artists to come together and have a great day out.

As a Business Angel and sponsor of the Sesh, we value the diversity of acts and zones it provides, and we always sponsor the family zone where children and parents can experience music and arts in a safe and fun way and hopefully go away with something they have created as a keepsake. It is crucial businesses get behind and continue to support the Sesh, this is what makes Hull a great place to live, work and play.

[05/05/26 - Humber Street Sesh festival is back for 2026 following uncertainty about its future. Picture - Heidi Jean Photography]

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Humber Street Sesh 'reflects the spirit of Hulls community'(Image: Heidi Jean Photography)

Richard Salkeld, director of communications and partnerships at Hull Trains, said: Hull Trains is proud to continue backing Humber Street Sesh with free travel for attendees. It is a festival that truly reflects the spirit of Hulls community and showcases some of the outstanding musical talent from across the region.

Rail travel is one of the most environmentally friendly ways for people to get to Humber Street Sesh and this is also part of our ongoing commitment to help reduce carbon emissions across the Humber region. Dave Mays, festival director, said: Weve had incredible support from key partners to help secure this years festival and were very grateful, but we still need more businesses and the community to get behind it to ensure its long-term future.

Humber Street Sesh is one of the citys cultural flagship events. It generates over 1m in social value and has a huge positive impact on Hull. It is an event that is completely unique to the city - theres nothing else like it in the country.

Festival organisers are committed to keeping the event accessible through tiered ticketing, with a limited number of Tier 1 tickets at 20 (plus booking fee) available from today. This years festival promises to be better than ever, with more than 100 acts performing across multiple stages.

Community favourites including the BBC Introducing Stage, Silent Disco, and the Residents Association Block Party Stage will return alongside an exciting range of new partnerships designed to champion grassroots music, nurture emerging talent, and create unforgettable experiences for audiences of all ages. Hull Music Service (lead partner for the Humber Music Hub) has formed a new partnership with The Warren and Warren Records, to develop a dedicated emerging-music stage, shining a spotlight on the next generation of young artists from the region.

Stage@TheDock, delivered in partnership with East Riding Colleges music department, will offer an interactive programme of music masterclasses where the public can get hands-on, try out instruments, and experience music-making first-hand. These sessions will be followed by live performances from the colleges music students, alongside a vibrant art exhibition showcasing creative talent across disciplines.

[05/05/26 - Humber Street Sesh festival is back for 2026 following uncertainty about its future. Picture - Paul Newbon Photography]

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The festival provides a platform for grassroots musicians(Image: Paul Newbon Photography)

Adding even more energy to the programme, Hip-Hop Karaoke makes its debut this year as a brand-new crowd-pulling feature. Designed to encourage audience participation, the stage will come alive throughout the day with hip-hop artists performing, inspiring, and guiding festivalgoers to grab the mic and join in.

Mark Page, festival director, said: Its great to be back with some exciting new partnerships that will significantly enhance the festival experience, creating more opportunities for grassroots musicians while giving audiences even more chances to participate and discover amazing national emerging music alongside homegrown talent.

Humber Street Sesh 2026 will be at Hull Marina on Saturday, August 1, from midday to 11pm. Tickets are available via humberstreetsesh.co.uk and SeeTickets.com; businesses interested in sponsoring Humber Street Sesh can email elise@sesheventsuk.co.uk

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