The Friars Walk zone at this weekend’s Big Splash festival held on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 July, has an incredible line up in it’s two zones. John Frost Square and Usk Plaza become giant stages for the big, the bonkers and the brilliant over the fun-filled weekend, with many roving acts making surprise appearances, too!
The Big Splash Information Point is also based here, manned by staff and volunteers from Newport Live who will be able to answer your Big Splash questions, and guide you to your favourite acts throughout the weekend – after all, there’s so much to see, you might need to make a plan!
Here’s a taste of a few of the delights in store:
Able Mable is a showgirl with a flare for the dramatic and the ridiculous. Mable attempts to escape from handcuffs and loses half her costume in the process. She wields a whip wildly as she attempts to pop a balloon, accidentally magics things away and uses tape to fix her props whilst tangling herself and her volunteer up in it.
Barracwda samba percussion is a powerhouse of rhythm and pulsating beats, delivered with playful energy and their unique brand of sparkle. Be ready to be hit by a wall of sound; funk, D&B and samba reggae, it’s hard not to move along in time!
Choreographer Patrick Ziza’s dance explores African Dandyism as a celebration of style and cool as well as a concern for humanism, gender and identity in our increasingly divided society.
Dandyism is centuries old. For the original African Dandies, it represented male empowerment and post-colonial freedom.
African Dandies appropriated the flamboyance of the 18th Century English & French gentlemen in defiance against slavery, referred to by some as a resistance movement. By the 1960s it had become a phenomenon, a way to preserve a legacy of African culture. In “Dandyism” Patrick Ziza reminds us of the influence African culture continues to have, and encourages us all to dress sharp and present our best selves.
Honeymoon Balloon: Gary and Pel have two tickets to paradise and are about to embark on their first ever luxury hot air balloon vacation. What could possibly go wrong for the King and Queen of the skies? Binoculars at the ready as this cartoon couple take fiasco to a whole new height. This is a 20 minute live-action cartoon escapade for all ages to enjoy; featuring bear traps, sandbags and red carpet reveals plus our very own 12ft hot air balloon.
Unstable Acts: Pete Anderson is a 'Danger Comedian' and juggler, one of Covent Garden's finest street performers. His signature move is scaling a 10ft freestanding ladder, backwards, in a kilt.
A huge thanks goes to Friars Walk for being a key sponsor of this years Big Splash festival, helping to make it more jam-packed and fun-filled than ever.
The festival has been made possible thanks to the generous support, funding and sponsorship of Arts Council Wales, Newport City Council, Newport Now BID, Friars Walk, Le Pub, University of South Wales, Articulture, Loyal Free, Newport Bus, Alacrity Foundation, Newport City Homes, Arts & Business Cymru, Pobl, Melin Homes & Linc.
Here’s the line up in the Friars Walk Zone over the 2 areas and the 2 days:
John Frost Square - Saturday
11:00 – 11:25 Grumpy Unicorns
11:00 – 11:40 Hippochondriac (Roving Act)
11:35 – 12:10 Defying Gravity Academy
12:10 – 12:50 Great Insect Games
12:50 – 13:20 Falconry Dismay
13:30 – 13:55 Grumpy Unicorns
13:50 – 14:30 Hippochondriac (Roving Act)
14:10 – 14:45 Defying Gravity Academy
15:00 – 15:30 Falconry Dismay
15:30 – 16:10 Great Insect Games
16:10 – 16:50 Hippochondriac (Roving Act)
16:20 – 16:50 Able Mable
John Frost Square- Sunday
11:30 – 12:00 Able Mable
12:00 – 12:35 Defying Gravity Academy
12:35 – 13:05 Unstable Acts
13:05 – 13:30 Grumpy Unicorns
13:30 – 14:00 Able Mable
14:05 – 14:35 Barracwda
15:05 – 15:30 Grumpy Unicorns
Usk Plaza - Saturday
11:15 – 11:45 Unstable Acts
11:45 – 12:15 The Pigeons (Roving Act)
12:30 – 12:50 Honeymoon Balloon
13:50 – 14:20 Unstable Acts
15:10 – 15:40 The Pigeons (Roving Act)
15:50 – 16:10 Honeymoon Balloon
Usk Plaza – Sunday
11:45 – 12:15 Roo’d (Roving Act)
12:40 – 13:05 Dandyism
12:55 – 13:25 Roo’d (Roving Act)
13:45 – 14:05 Honeymoon Balloon
To stay up to date with everything that is planned for Big Splash 2022 make sure you keep an eye on social media, facebook.com/bigsplashnewport and Twitter @BigSplashFest, and visit newportlive.co.uk/BigSplash.
