Festival of Words - Back with live children's events for 2021

East Riding Libraries are delighted to announce a varied and exciting programme for their literature festival, The East Riding Festival of Words, which will be back with live events this autumn. Children’s events will take place from Tuesday, 12 October to Sunday, 24 October and tickets are available from and from the venues hosting events.

Puppets Plays and Storydays are back again with another entertaining puppet storytelling, this time of ‘Three little fish and the big bad shark’ by Ken Geist. This event will be touring around libraries in the East Riding, starting on 12 October in Pocklington and then throughout the next 11 days visiting Hornsea, Haltemprice, South Cave, Cottingham, Goole, Snaith, Brough, Howden and finishing on 23 October in Bridlington and Beverley.

Scrumptious Saturday takes place on 16 October at Beverley Library and starts with an interactive storytelling of ‘The Mouse’s Apples’ by Kristyna Litten, followed by ‘The Very Hungry Code-A-Pillar’, which is a fun and very interactive session for ages 3-7 to explore computer coding through storytelling, fun and games.

Saturday Under the Sea takes place on 23 October at Beverley Library, when real-life urban mermaid Lindsey Cole will be on hand for a creative workshop and interactive performance of her true story about when she swam down the Thames and rescued a cow.

The closing day of the children’s festival will take place on ‘Superhero Sunday’, 24 October. It starts with a workshop hosted by Carol from Puppets Plays and Storydays and children are invited to bring unwanted newspapers from home and recycle them into a puppet to take home. Next is the very talented Bill Booth, who is running a superhero drawing workshop, and the festival finishes with ‘Sleepy Tales for Superheroes’ hosted by library super-storytellers, Gillian and Angela.

Councillor Mike Medini, portfolio holder for cultural and leisure assets, said: “This a fantastic programme of events for children, and it is very exciting that we are able to hold live events again this year. I am very pleased to see these events taking place in many different locations, and I know they will prove hugely popular!”

Tickets are available now from or at any of the venues hosting the events and are priced at £6 for one child, £10 for two children and £12 for three children, with accompanying adults free.