SO Festival is a free, international outdoor arts festival taking place on the pavements, parks and promenades of the Lincolnshire Coast.

What is SO Festival?

An exhilarating three-day festival of theatre, puppetry, dance, comedy, music, acrobatics and immersive installations from local, UK and international artists set in the scenic outdoor spaces of the seaside towns of Skegness and Mablethorpe. Designed to take audiences away from the everyday, and on a journey of discovery to experience unique and inspirational performances.

More than a festival

SO is more than a festival, we work year-round supporting creatives and cultural organisations. We’re investing in our creatives, providing masterclasses, workshops and digital creative practice and much more. We’re collaborating with Lincolnshire’s cultural organisations to create networks to support and share best practice, as well as bringing international artists to the UK to perform across Lincolnshire.

Collaboration

Collaboration and partnerships are at the heart of our approach and we’re on a journey to ‘democratise’ SO Festival. Working with our Community Programme Team to co-curate and, supporting our communities to co-create art specifically for our festival. As well as experiencing the festival, we provide opportunities for local people to enjoy the many benefits of engaging and/or participating in the arts year-round.

The aim is for our new approach to programming to upskill our communities and see the voice of local people manifest in our programming choices, making the programme more relevant and resonant.

An International Festival

Jens Frimann Hansen, our Danish Artistic Director brings a wealth of experience and continental direction to the programming and methods of community engagement. We are delighted to be working with Europe’s leading festival director, and partner with Helsingør Teater in Denmark and PASSAGE Festival in Denmark and Sweden.

Our Partners and Supporters

The festival has been held annually since 2009 and has become one of the most popular cultural events in the region. SO Festival is an Arts Council England, National Portfolio Organisation receiving over £962,000 of funding between April 2023 and March 2026. Significant match funding is provided by Magna Vitae and East Lindsey District Council.