Five minutes with… Mak Page of Humber Street Sesh

An impressive 32,000 people are expected to descend on the newly refurbished Humber Street and surrounding area to celebrate Hull’s vibrant music scene. We caught up with Mak Page, Festival Director, to find out what’s in store.

Great to catch you, Mak! You must be super busy putting the final touches to this epic festival?

Yes, it’s been nonstop. It’s not long until the big day and we’re all really busy with last-minute developments.

We’ve even got an app this year, which is really exciting. It has a built-in map of the festival, as well as the full lineup, list of stages and other attractions. You can download it onto your Android or iPhone.

Fantastic! There’s so much going on at Humber Street Sesh, but what are some of the highlights?

It’s too hard to really pinpoint because there are so many exceptional acts performing.

I would encourage everyone to go and see Life, our University of Hull Stage headliners. They have been around for a good number of years now and they’ve really engaged with the industry.

This year, they’ve been travelling across the UK and Europe, supporting bands and playing other festivals. BBC Radio 1 has been tracking them too. Quite rightfully, they are our headliners, it’s definitely their time to shine.

And, of course, Humber Street itself has had a bit of a makeover since last year’s event. Are you looking forward to seeing it full of festival-goers?

Yeah, the place has been transformed with all the new bars and venues. It’s a really exciting time for the city and the Marina area.

We just hope we can enhance the street by putting on this event. We want to put a spotlight on the creative brilliance of the city and show off this incredible development.

The renovations are far from finished, there’s a lot to be done over the next couple of years. So, I’m eager to see what it looks like in a few years’ time.

Other than the music, is there anything else that people can enjoy on Saturday?

Most definitely. Aalongside the music, we have a vast arts itinerary that has been programmed by our Arts Director, Isabel Tracy.

We have 14 stages of live music, but on top of this, we have a whole host of family entertainment and activities, including face painting, skate park, silent disco and theatre workshops. There’s also a fun fair and market area filled with local independent traders and food stalls.

It really is fun for all the family. Under 12s can attend for free and collect their wristbands on the day.

Lastly, why should people come along?

It’s a unique event that’s organically grown. The festival is in its sixth year, but it came off the back of a weekly music night at The Polar Bear called The Sesh.

Over the years, we’ve witnessed some incredible talent from across the region. By putting this festival on, it’s created a powerful platform for our musicians and artists.

With it being the UK City of Culture year, the eyes of the world will be upon us. This really is our time to show off what we’ve got in Hull.

Instead of talking about bands from 30 or 40 years ago, let’s talk about the talent we have here now. We’ve got an incredible array of musicians.

It’s very special that we can attract over 30,000 people with no big names. I don’t think there’s another festival in the country that can draw in crowds of that size with regional, emerging bands.

Humber Street Sesh takes place on Saturday 5 August. You can purchase wristbands and find out more on the Humber Street Sesh website.