Interactive street theatre, slapstick comedy, aerial circus skills and creative workshops entertained crowds as GO Festival 2026 returned to Gainsborough.
This year’s free festival kicked off on Saturday 6 June in Gainsborough Market Place. Despite rain showers, audiences embraced the atmosphere, pulled on their dancing shoes and joined in with a packed programme of performances and family activities.
A giant golden birdcage took centre stage at both locations, delighting audiences with Cartoon Capers. Created by The Birdcage Stage, the interactive, family-friendly street theatre show combined aerial circus, physical comedy and clowning inside the striking structure. The programme also included creative workshops, face painting and the popular Birdy Disco.
Families flocked to the town centre to enjoy live music and dance performances and take part in creative activities, from making bird-themed headwear to graffiti painting. Some visitors even became part of the acts themselves.
The festival featured a vibrant mix of professional acts, local performers and interactive experiences for all ages, including giant walking trees, face painting, bubble fun, Boom Circus and a lively dance programme that kept the town centre buzzing throughout the day.
One standout moment was the Rhythm in Movement flash mob, which burst into action and surprised visitors with an energetic performance that added to the festival atmosphere.
Families were also able to walk through a giant structure created by children who took part in workshops ahead of the festival. Three artists helped create and assemble the installation, which became a focal point of Saturday’s celebrations in Gainsborough.
Lou and Nadya, of Lumo Workshop, said they’d worked with lots of people to develop and build the structure, which is made up of hundreds of cardboard boxes.
Lou said: “We’ve been working with around 100 local people on the sculpture, which is all about the architecture of Gainsborough. We began with photos of buildings from around town and took those images into schools, where children created stamp designs that were then imprinted onto each of the boxes.”
The sculpture was then assembled with the help of the Conversation Café at X-Church in Gainsborough.”
GO Festival 2026 was made possible thanks to funding from West Lindsey District Council and Gainsborough Town Council.
GO Festival Gallery
Take a look at our GO Festival Gallery captured by KH Films Gainsborough – GO Festival 2026 – Gallery.
Organisers thanked everyone who attended, performed, volunteered and supported the festival, helping to deliver this memorable events that celebrated accessible arts and culture.
Feedback from residents and visitors will help organisers evaluate this year’s festival and support future funding applications to keep events like GO Festival running.
People who attended are encouraged to take five minutes to complete the festival survey.
For more information about visiting Gainsborough including places to visit and things to do, head over to our visit page. For regular updates follow Discover Gainsborough on Facebook and Instagram.