Summer of festivals and fun in Redcar and Cleveland.

Get ready to look up and be amazed as Redcar’s skies will come alive with giant inflatable kites in a spectacular display of colour and dance. 

Redcar Kite Festival returns to the skies on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 June, bringing colour, creativity, and family fun to the seafront. With even more beach arenas this year, visitors can watch in awe as the sea breeze lifts giant inflatables, stunt kites, and rainbow deltas into the air in a mesmerising display. 

Throughout the weekend, the Northern Kite Group will wow crowds with spectacular kite displays set to music, alongside dramatic stunt kites, elegant kite ballet, and rainbow deltas. Larger‑than‑life inflatable kites, including popular cartoon characters, add to the sense of scale and wonder. Children will also have the chance to take part themselves, flying their own kites into the sky. 

Beyond the skies, visitors can enjoy free activities in the Marquees-by-the-Sea including kite making workshops, fossil hunting, a rock pool school and creative crafts. Families can also visit the Stories by the Shore marquee to celebrate the National Literacy Trust’s Year of Reading, with storytelling sessions and magical walkabout performances from Lady Lemon Top and Captain Plim. 

Live music adds to the atmosphere with performances on the BBC Tees music stage and acoustic sets in the Bandstand. Dozens of street food and drink stalls serve up everything from parmos – a delicious Teesside special of breaded chicken or pork with bechamel sauce and melted cheese - and gourmet burgers to hog roast, wood-fired pizza, Korean corndogs, crepes, craft beers, and cocktails. With face painting, henna, glitter bars, and vintage fairground rides brings fun for all the family.

A Festival of fun, adventure, imagination and messiness for children, young people and their grown-ups awaits!  

The award‑winning Between the Tides festival returns for a spectacular weekend of free outdoor fun for children and their grown‑ups on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 August. Set within the beautiful grounds of Kirkleatham, the festival transforms the historic village and walled garden into a vibrant world of theatre, puppetry, circus, dance, storytelling, and live music. 

Festival favourites make a welcome return including the Party Animal woodland disco, an interactive chalk walk, fantastical walkabout character and magical woodland adventures designed to spark curiosity and imagination around every corner.  

This year’s programme is packed with show stopping experiences including Disorder of Knights delivering thrilling juggling, comedy, and theatrical circus. And fire.  Lots of fire! Look up for Up in the Sky a high-impact aerial show performed on a striking 7-metre circular structure or dive into the splashy chaos of Hydro Punk, a playful water machine full of taps, pipes, puzzles and surprises. Step inside Luminarium – A light-filled inflatable, before getting ready for The Big Bubble Bash – a foam-tastic festival finale and the perfect, messy ending to a weekend all about fun. 

Alongside the performances, visitors can enjoy creative workshops, live music, walkabouts and street food. 

This summer, food lovers can enjoy Street food, cocktails, and live music by the sea at Majuba Sunset Market and tasty, sweet treats at Sweet Street, Redcar’s first‑ever Dessert Festival. 

As the sun begins to set along the coast, Majuba Sunset Market returns, bringing laid back, chilled vibes, great food and a warm social atmosphere on Friday 1 May, Friday 5 June and Friday 3 July. 

Following the success of last year, the market returns bigger than ever, with more than 40 independent traders offering an exciting mix of local favourites and global street‑food flavours. In May expect the rich aroma of wood‑fired pizzas from Fire Pit Pizza and Greedy Ted, comforting parmos from Parm‑O‑Rama, and bold flavours from Pavs Dhaba and Chicken Ting. Sweet treats are never far away, with artisan doughnuts from Sugar Love Donuts, ice cream from Arctic Foxx, and bakes from Bakes & Treats. 

Drinks and live music complete the experience, with seasonal cocktails by Blind Tiger and Tap Garden to craft beers from The Tannery. May’s market features the sensational Still Into You, a stripped‑back acoustic set delivering feel‑good, sing‑along favourites from Fleetwood Mac and ABBA to Sam Fender and Michael Jackson. 

The flavour‑filled summer continues on 18–19 July with Sweet Street, Redcar’s first Dessert Festival. Coinciding with National Ice Cream Day, the festival celebrates Redcar’s famous Lemon Top ice cream with an artisan dessert market featuring cakes, cookies, churros, crêpes, cannoli, brownies and more. Beamish Museum will showcase traditional ice‑cream making, while live demos, hands‑on workshops, storytelling from Lady Lemon Top, street theatre and a Sweet Street Trail ensure fun for the whole family.