Organisers of the Hulloween Steampunk Festival have said they will not let Storm Babet defeat them as they announced that this weekend’s daytime events will move indoors to Princes Quay.
The festival promises a host of weird, wacky and wonderful experiences for all the family and the hope is that the excitement around the event will help to secure a top tourism award.
The event, which is organised by HullBID and the Ministry of Steampunk, starts today (Friday, October 20) with an afternoon history walk by Old Town tour guide Paul Schofield and an evening ghost walk by horror historian Mike Covell, plus a performance of Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror in Trinity Indoor Market.
Events on Saturday will include a Hulloween Parade, while an All Hallows Tide Choral Evensong will echo through the Minster between 4pm and 5pm.
As a result of the storm, all daytime events have been moved from Trinity Square to the ground floor of Princes Quay shopping centre.
The markets will be in the event space, and talks and tea duelling will be in one of the empty units. Steampunk exhibits and artefacts, as well as all musical and dance performances and the teapot racing, will be in the atrium.
The parades will still be going ahead as advertised, but will end at Princes Quay.
The Immortal Ball – the centrepiece of the festival – will take place in Hull Guildhall from 7pm until midnight with the promise of a sumptuous candlelit meal followed by live music from the Reprobates.
Meanwhile, a Mappleton-based fantasy author will be part of the book-inspired events.
Carl F Northwood, author of The Maingard Chronicles, was invited to take part after attending in 2022.
He said: “I’m thoroughly overjoyed and looking forward to being part of Hulloween this year.”
One of five Steampunk authors attending the festival, Carl will be part of a new addition to the event which will feature a series of book launches, writing workshops and panels over the weekend.
Carl added: “Last year, I popped along to a few of the events, so to be asked to go a step further and contribute to such a splendiferous festival is tip-top.”
Carl will appear in Risen from the North on Saturday, October 21, at noon in Hull Minster, and Writing Your World on Sunday, October 22. When not taking part in the scheduled activities, he and others will be available in Hepworth’s Arcade where there will be an opportunity to buy and discuss his books.
Carl has written three books of The Maingard Chronicles series and is working on book four. He has also published an anthology of short stories set in his Sword & Sorcery or Gaslamp/Steampunk worlds.
HullBID executive director Kathryn Shillito said the quirky quality of Hulloween was underlined by last year’s inaugural festival being shortlisted in the Remarkable East Yorkshire Tourism Awards (REYTAs) as a candidate for tourism event of the year.
Kathryn added: “It was indeed a truly memorable event which attracted visitors from across the city and the wider region. Many of them had never seen anything like it before and found it absolutely spellbinding looking at the intricate costumes and paraphernalia and listening to some enthralling stories.
“Members of the Steampunk community came from far and wide to celebrate their culture against the backdrop of our historic streets and buildings and we’re expecting even more this year which, with a packed programme of events, adds up to even more of a spectacle for people coming to take a look and bigger crowds to support our city centre businesses.”
To find out more about the Hulloween Steampunk Festival 2023 and check the full schedule, visit hulloweensteampunk.co.uk.
