2 days ago
- Entertainment
- South Wales Argus
Big Splash arts festival takes over Newport for 2025
As Wales' largest free outdoor arts festival, Big Splash sees thousands of people visit the city to take part in workshops and craft activities and watch live music, street theatre and dance performances.
Described as 'a slice of Covent Garden in Newport', it turns the streets of Newport into a giant stage for all to enjoy.
Tiny Circus gets ready for a big show (Image: NQ) The main hub that is situated in the Riverfront Theatre provides a range of different events and stalls that allow visitors to get creative and join in with the fun. From an arts & crafts room to circus trick classes to skateboarding with No Comply, there is something for everyone under one roof.
Elsewhere across the rest of the city centre, visitors can watch performances in the lively street theatre in Usk Plaza, catch live performances and play games on Big Splash Boulevard, and take in the vibrant showcase of local art and culture in the Creative Quarter.
Audiences watch performances from the top of John Frost Square (Image: NQ) The two-day event itself is completely free of charge, making it the perfect family friendly experience for all ages.
Evan Elias, 22, is a member of staff at the Riverfront and is spending the day manning the 'imagination station' arts & crafts area. He said: 'I love making creativity accessible and seeing the impact free art can have on local people.'
Staff members like Evan Elias get stuck right in (Image: NQ) A lot of the attendees and staff milling around Newport today share similar sentiments.
The festival brings the city together, helping to make art accessible to those who wouldn't experience it otherwise – visitors are allowed to pick their poison in this sense and decide whether they'd like the adrenaline rush of watching a circus performer juggle blades, or through the more peaceful act of story times in Waterstones.
Big Splash runs Saturday June 19 to Sunday June 20 and closes with a DJ set from Newport legend Benji Webbe on the Celebrate Stage on Big Splash Boulevard at 4:20PM Sunday.
