The Hulloween Steampunk Festival is coming back to East Yorkshire with the promise of more weird, wacky and wonderful experiences for all the family! Participants plan to transform Hull city centre over the weekend of 20 – 22 October with displays of spooky and spectacular tomfoolery inspired by a passion for Victorian fashions and engineering.
1. NOSFERATU
Trinity Market
2. GHOSTS WALKS
Trinity Square
3. HULLOWEEN (SAT)/STEAMPUNK (SUN) PARADE
Paragon Square
4. STEAMPUNK MARKET (SAT)
Trinity Square and Hull Minster
5. CHILDREN’S HULLOWEEN DISCO
Holiday Inn, Hull Marina
6. STEAMPUNK MARKET (SUN)
Zebedee’s Yard, Princes Dock Street
7. TALKS & EXHIBITIONS
Hepworth Arcade
8. THE IMMORTAL BALL
The Guildhall
9. HISTORY WALKS
Queen Victoria Square
Due to the weather warnings in effect over Friday 20 Oct and Saturday 21 Oct, all daytime events have now been moved to the ground floor of Princes Quay shopping centre.
You can find the market in the event space, talks and tea duelling in one of the empty units, Steampunk exhibits and artefacts in the atrium, all musical and dance performances in the atrium, as well as the teapot racing. The parades will still be going ahead, as advertised, but will end at Princes Quay.
The evening performance of Nosferatu is still in Trinity Market, the ghost walks will still meet in Trinity Square, and the Immortal Ball is still in the magnificent surroundings of The Guildhall.
If you can’t find what you are looking for, head to Princes Quay and you will be pointed in the right direction!
Friday 20 Oct
Hull History Walks
Friday 20th October. Queen Victoria Square, 2pm
Whether you’re a regular visitor to the city and want to learn something you never knew before, or you’re new to the city and want to get a feel for the place, Paul Schofield’s Walking Tours are not to be missed!
To book, please email schopaul@hotmail.com quoting reference ‘Steampunk’. Tickets are £5.
Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror
Friday 20 October, Trinity Market, 6pm doors for 7pm-9pm performance.
Be prepared to be chilled, thrilled, and have your popcorn spilled.
We’re proud to bring you a little piece of Steampunk heaven in the shape and form of director F.W Mernau’s – Nosferatu A Symphony Of Horror.
This 1922 classical and innovative blood-fest set the standard for everything to come. This is the original and the best adaption of the Dracula legend.
Count-Orlok née Dracula stalks his Romanian lair, while contemplating the terror that he will spread to distant lands. But as usual it is not the blow from a stake to the heart, but a kiss from a beautiful woman which brings his final downfall.
Xander Armstrong, Steampunk revivalist, has industrialised the Steampunk musical, post-modernist, revivalist-era to bring you an amazing new take on the musical sound-score accompanying the vampiric legend over screen.
He will be accompanied by the ‘Queen of Gothic- – Maethelyiah – whose sombre, melancholic, and operatic tones add an extra flavour of dark ecstasy within the film, and also a guest male vocalist.
Xander delivers an hour and a half of sheer brilliance, never to be forgotten.
You will be whistling the tunes all their way home to your lead-lined, steel-made coffin. Rest in peace, Steampunk dudes.
Tickets £5 (plus 75p booking fee): https://buytickets.at/asylumxi/1013872
Ghost Walks with Mike Covell
Friday 20th October. Trinity Square, 8pm-9.30pm. Ages 20+
Join local historian, author and expert on all things spooky Mike Covell on a walking tour of Hull’s ghostly myths and legends. The walk will begin at 8pm at the Andrew Marvell Statue outside the Hands on History museum in Trinity Square, returning to the same spot at 9.30pm.
Numbers are strictly limited so advance booking is essential. The cost is £5 per head. To book your place on the tour, send an email to amazinghulltours@hotmail.com quoting reference ‘Steampunk’.
Saturday 21 Oct
Steampunk Market
Saturday 21st October. Trinity Square (10am-4pm) and Hull Minster (10am-3pm)
A mixture of over 40 Steampunk and other traders will be vying for your attention and your pennies.
If you already have a Steampunk outfit this will be the perfect time to find that little something extra to make it even more special – or if you are just about to dip your toe into the water of Steampunk Fabulousness this will be an ideal time to make your first purchases – with plenty of amazing costumes to take inspiration from and lots of friendly traders to offer you their finest impartial advice!
Tower Tours
Saturday 21st October. Hull Minster, 10am-3pm.
Tower tours will be running throughout the weekend. Please go to www.hullminster.org/towertours to book your place.
Hulloween Parade
Saturday 21st October. Meet in Paragon Square, 10am
Whether you are alive or dead, or somewhere in between, this is your chance to join us in your finest (?!) Halloween-themed costume or outfit as we take a leisurely Hulloween ‘shamble’ along the streets of Hull.
Meet up with other zombies, steampunks in their finery (a few of whom will likely be vampires or vampire-hunters in disguise), undead creatures, ghosts, vampires, clowns, witches, black cats, Wednesday Addams, walking cobwebs and any number of other Hulloween-y characters.
We will meet at 10am on Saturday morning in Paragon Square and set off at 10.15am to make our way through the streets of Hull, ending up at the Steampunk markets at Trinity Square and Hull Minster.
At the end of the parade, medals will be awarded to the best-dressed Adult the best-dressed Child and the best-dressed family (or other) group. So it’s time to get your thinking hats on and decide what you are going to wear.
Exhibition of Steampunk costumes and artefacts
Saturday 21st October. Hepworth’s Arcade, 10am-4pm.
In the magnificent building of Hepworth Arcade you can expect to find several shop units taken over for the Hulloween weekend by the Ministry of Steampunk and friends.
There will be displays including the ‘Shop of Horrors’ and other Steampunk/Halloween inspired creations, possibly including a family of Cybermen with slightly ‘unusual’ features.
Steampunk Celluloid Junkie
Saturday 21st October. Trinity Market, 10am-4pm.
The Steampunk Celluloid Junkie will be bringing his characterised style of digital art to the Hulloween Steampunk Weekend.
Trinity Market will host a live gallery of Steampunk pictures on the big screen and the Steampunk Celluloid Junkie will have a portrait shooting gallery and laboratory set up next to it, so that everyone can be part of the Steampunk Exhibition.
All Steampunks are welcome to have their portraits characterised and for those who don’t own Steampunk paraphernalia, there will be some props and costumes available so that anyone can take part.
Just turn up and let us know you want to be part of this exciting new feature for Hulloween 2023 – the Steampunk Celluloid Junkie’s Gallery of Hulloween Characters.
The pictures will also appear on the @steampunkcelluloidjunkie Facebook page.
Teapot Racing
Saturday 21st October. Trinity Market, 11am.
Few Steampunk pastimes make more sense than Hulloween teapot racing. It’s another high-adrenaline sport which combines that quintessentially Steampunk vessel from which one of our favourite beverages is served with the thrill of a race.
Come along and see how the sport works and why it has been attracting such a following. You are welcome to bring your own racing teapot along if you have one, but if not there are likely to be one or two teapots that can be driven by visitors who have arrived ‘unarmed’ (as it were).
Especially for the occasion there will be a spooky twist to the racing course. There will be a medal for the fastest time, and possibly also for the slowest.
Steampunk Talks
Saturday 21st October. Hepworth’s Arcade, 12pm-4pm.
12pm: Hull Wilberforcian Steampunks
Come and meet Howard Callaway and friends from the Hull Wilberforcian Steampunks to discover all you need to know about the Steampunk scene in Hull and further afield.
This will be an opportunity to find out what makes local Steampunks ‘tick’. There will be ample time to ask questions about how you can become involved.
But be warned; Steampunk is a very addictive scene!
2pm: Defensive Couture and Combative Coattails (or Why Zombies Love A Little Black Dress)
A lively examination of how fatally flawed one’s splendid attire can be.
Does your corset have strings attached? Are unwanted werewolves chewing on your tailcoat? Splendid gowns and fine garments can turn unwanted heads, but a well pressed collar could change that. Brave volunteers could discover how to protect more than their neck. Take advice from our seasoned hunters on how to apply ingenious creative flair to your wardrobe.
Guided by Shellie Horst, guests Emma Whitehall, Carl F Northwood, and Craig Hallam will invite guests to explore the perils of dressing to impress – without dropping a stitch.
3pm: Glunda the Veg Witch
STEAMPUNK AUTHOR K W DICKINSON DELIVERS A HEROIC HOTPOT OF A BOOK LAUNCH
“A witch’s boots told the story of her life. They showed you where she’d been, where she was going, and what kind of a witch she would be when she got there. And, most importantly, they were proof that said witch was not someone to be trifled with.
She was to be listened to, and obeyed, and yes sometimes even feared, because her wisdom was hard earned and her wrath swift and mighty.
They would have to be, for her to have lived in such boots for so many a year. No one trusted a witch in brand new boots, and rightly so as far as Glunda was concerned.”
Choral music from S.C.O.N.E
Saturday 21st October. Trinity Square (12pm) and Hull Minster (2pm).
Come and hear Lincoln’s famous Steampunk Choir of Notorious Excellence S.C.O.N.E. who will be singing for your joy, entertainment and delight.
If you need more songs about gin in your life, S.C.O.N.E. are the choir you have been looking for. Expect neo-Victorian choir tomfoolery, with copious references to tea, airships and even the war hippo cavalry!
Risen from the North
Saturday 21st October. Hull Minster, 1pm.
Lost on the moors, and writhing free of the waterways, best selling fiction can be found right here. Explore new stories found in the wilderness, and hear from those brave enough to shape them.
We’ve gathered Northern authors Craig Hallam, Emma Whitehall, Keith W Dickinson and Carl F Northwood to share their work.
Come, pick their brains before they become mush!
The Old Curiosity Swap
Saturday 21st October. Trinity Square, 1pm-2pm.
The Old Curiosity Swap is an opportunity for participants to swap items with each other, such as trinkets, badges, patches or whatever else they wish to bring along. The principal rule is that no money must exchange hands – this is purely for swapping items.
You are, of course, free to take part in the trading of treasures at any time over the weekend, but we suggest a meet-up for interested participants between 1PM and 2PM in Trinity Square on Saturday.
Ullalele
Saturday 21st October. Trinity Market, 1pm-2pm.
Ullalele is a progressive ukulele rock quartet, purveyors of the finest Steamplunk since the last years of the nineteenth century. Their music is inspired by early historical scientific romance, science and magic. They blend lyricism with great harmonies, and maybe darkly humorous but are always highly entertaining.
Think Horrible Histories, only more highbrow.
Steampunk 101
Saturday 21st October. Trinity Market, 2pm.
Come and join the Ministry of Steampunk to find out everything you need to know about Steampunk.
Where did it come from? Is it about literature, or costuming? Is there Steampunk music? Do Steampunks have normal lives outside of Steampunk?
How do you get involved? Do you have to wear particular items of clothing to be a Steampunk?
What’s the only ‘golden rule?’
Come and find out the answers to all these questions and more in this introduction to Steampunk talk.
All Hallows Tide Choral Evensong
Saturday 21st October. Hull Minster, 4pm-5pm.
Further details to follow.
The Immortal Ball
Saturday 21st October. Guildhall. 7pm-midnight. Ages 16+
Mrs Nellie Lovett and Mr Sweeney Todd invite the pleasure of your company at the second Immortal Ball to be held at the Guildhall in Hull.
The Immortal Ball is the centrepiece of the Hulloween Steampunk Festival and will include a sumptuous candlelit meal followed by an opportunity to listen and dance to The Retrobates – who will be returning by popular demand following their performances at last year’s Grand Asylum Ball and the DecoDance at Asylum XIII.
As a result of her continuing business relationship with Mr Todd, Mrs Lovett is particularly keen for you to try her new range of pies, previously the finest pies in London, but soon to become the very finest in Kingston upon Hull.
Mr Todd, in turn, will be delighted to welcome Gentlemen to his new Barbershop in the Hepworth Arcade, right next to Mrs Lovett’s pie shop. Appointments will be available up to 11AM on the day of the ball; beyond this time, Mr Todd and Mrs Lovett will be busy in the kitchen.
Vegetarian and Vegan options will also be available (Mrs Lovett’s other neighbour is a greengrocer of repute).
Mortals and Immortals are equally welcome at the Immortal Ball. Expect Vampires, Steampunks, Witches, Wednesday Addams and, quite possibly, the Spirits of the very recently departed.
Doors 7PM for 7:30PM
Hearses at the witching hour (midnight)
Tickets available at https://www.tickettailor.com/events/asylumxi/1002163 where you will also find Mrs Lovett’s culinary plans for the evening.
Ghost walk with Mike Covell
Saturday 21st October. Trinity Square, 8pm-9.30pm. Ages 20+
Join local historian, author and expert on all things spooky Mike Covell on a walking tour of Hull’s ghostly myths and legends. The walk will begin at 8pm at the Andrew Marvell Statue outside the Hands on History museum in Trinity Square, returning to the same spot at 9.30pm.
Numbers are strictly limited so advance booking is essential. The cost is £5 per head. To book your place on the tour, send an email to amazinghulltours@hotmail.com quoting reference ‘Steampunk’.
Sunday 22 Oct
Hulloween Steampunk Market
Sunday 22nd October. Zebedee’s Yard, Princes Dock Street, 10am-4pm.
A mixture of over 40 Steampunk and other traders will be vying for your attention and your pennies.
If you already have a Steampunk outfit this will be the perfect time to find that little something extra to make it even more special – or if you are just about to dip your toe into the water of Steampunk Fabulousness this will be an ideal time to make your first purchases – with plenty of amazing costumes to take inspiration from and lots of friendly traders to offer you their finest impartial advice!
Steampunk Celluloid Junkie
Sunday 22nd October. Trinity Market, 10am-4pm.
The Steampunk Celluloid Junkie will be bringing his characterised style of digital art to the Hulloween Steampunk Weekend.
Trinity Market will host a live gallery of Steampunk pictures on the big screen and the Steampunk Celluloid Junkie will have a portrait shooting gallery and laboratory set up next to it, so that everyone can be part of the Steampunk Exhibition.
All Steampunks are welcome to have their portraits characterised and for those who don’t own Steampunk paraphernalia, there will be some props and costumes available so that anyone can take part.
Just turn up and let us know you want to be part of this exciting new feature for Hulloween 2023 – the Steampunk Celluloid Junkie’s Gallery of Hulloween Characters.
The pictures will also appear on the @steampunkcelluloidjunkie Facebook page.
Teapot Racing
Sunday 22nd October. Trinity Market, 11am.
Few Steampunk pastimes make more sense than Hulloween teapot racing. It’s another high-adrenaline sport which combines that quintessentially Steampunk vessel from which one of our favourite beverages is served with the thrill of a race.
Come along and see how the sport works and why it has been attracting such a following. You are welcome to bring your own racing teapot along if you have one, but if not there are likely to be one or two teapots that can be driven by visitors who have arrived ‘unarmed’ (as it were).
Especially for the occasion there will be a spooky twist to the racing course. There will be a medal for the fastest time, and possibly also for the slowest.
Raven Morris Dancers
Sunday 22nd October. Zebedee’s Yard (11am-11.30am and 12pm-12.30pm), Trinity Square (1pm-1.30pm, 3pm-3.30pm).
Clashing of sticks, shouting, shantie singing, border dances and giant puppets, all done in the gorgeous style of steampunk.
Exhibition of Steampunk costumes and artefacts
Sunday 22nd October. Hepworth’s Arcade, 11am-3pm.
Imagine what a shock you would get if you came across an earnest gentleman such as the one you see here inviting you to peruse an array of weird and wonderful artefacts with a spooky, curious and even evil ‘something’ about them.
And what if said gentlemen and his shop of weird curiosities could be found in Hepworth Arcade on Sunday?
Well that would be something, wouldn’t it?
Steampunk Talks
Sunday 22nd October. Hepworth’s Arcade, 11am-3pm.
11am: Defensive Couture and Combative Coattails (or Why Zombies Love A Little Black Dress)
A lively examination of how fatally flawed one’s splendid attire can be.
Does your corset have strings attached? Are unwanted werewolves chewing on your tailcoat? Splendid gowns and fine garments can turn unwanted heads, but a well pressed collar could change that. Brave volunteers could discover how to protect more than their neck. Take advice from our seasoned hunters on how to apply ingenious creative flair to your wardrobe.
Guided by Shellie Horst, guests Emma Whitehall, Carl F Northwood, and Keith W Dickinson will invite guests to explore the perils of dressing to impress – without dropping a stitch.
12pm: Glunda the Veg Witch
STEAMPUNK AUTHOR K W DICKINSON DELIVERS A HEROIC HOTPOT OF A BOOK LAUNCH
“A witch’s boots told the story of her life. They showed you where she’d been, where she was going, and what kind of a witch she would be when she got there. And, most importantly, they were proof that said witch was not someone to be trifled with.
She was to be listened to, and obeyed, and yes sometimes even feared, because her wisdom was hard earned and her wrath swift and mighty.
They would have to be, for her to have lived in such boots for so many a year. No one trusted a witch in brand new boots, and rightly so as far as Glunda was concerned.”
1pm: Hull Wilberforcian Steampunks
Come and meet Howard Callaway and friends from the Hull Wilberforcian Steampunks to discover all you need to know about the Steampunk scene in Hull and further afield.
This will be an opportunity to find out what makes local Steampunks ‘tick’. There will be ample time to ask questions about how you can become involved.
But be warned; Steampunk is a very addictive scene!
2pm: Writing Your World
Join our brave adventure-authors and explore the derring-do involved in taking steampunk novels (and other forms) to the world, and how not to be eaten alive in the process. Even our audience will have a part in this quest.
Moderated by Shellie Horst, with guests Emma Whitehall, Carl F Northwood, and Keith W Dickinson
Steampunk 101
Sunday 22nd October. Trinity Market, 12pm.
Come and join the Ministry of Steampunk to find out everything you need to know about Steampunk.
Where did it come from? Is it about literature, or costuming? Is there Steampunk music? Do Steampunks have normal lives outside of Steampunk?
How do you get involved? Do you have to wear particular items of clothing to be a Steampunk?
What’s the only ‘golden rule?’
Come and find out the answers to all these questions and more in this introduction to Steampunk talk.
Ethereal Voices
Sunday 22nd October. Hull Minster, 1pm.
HumberSFF does Hulloween!
Are you the next Mary Shelley, Cherie Priest, or William Gibson? Join The Extra-Ordinary League of Literary Luminati and share your work!
Bring us your paranormal, your gothic, and horror*. Spaceships, dragons, vampires, and werewolves.
Bonus points for airships over run by dragons being chased by vampires, in space!
If you would like to listen, just come along.
If you would like to read at the Open Mic, please reserve a place to have your ten minutes of fame.
* Must be suitable for under 13s due to daytime audience.
Tea Duelling
Sunday 22nd October. Trinity Market, 1pm.
Do you have nerves of steel? Do you have what it takes to resist eating your dunked biscuit until the very last moment before it collapses in a mess?
If the answer is yes, then you might be in with a chance to be crowned the Hulloween II champion in this most Steampunk of extreme sports.
The winner will automatically be entered into the World (yes, World!!) Championship at The Asylum Steampunk Festival in Lincoln in August 2024 and will also go home with a Ministry of Steampunk medal.
Tower Tours
Sunday 22nd October. Hull Minster, 1pm-4pm.
Tower tours will be running throughout the weekend. Please go to www.hullminster.org/towertours to book your place
Illicit Market
Sunday 22nd October. Zebedee’s Yard, 1.30pm-2.15pm.
Nobody really knows whether the illicit market takes place. If it ever does, it might be going to take place on Sunday at Hulloween. It could possibly take place in Zebedee’s Yard at about 1:30PM before the Grand Parade (nudge nudge).
But you didn’t read that here, did you?
The Illicit Market is an opportunity for (cough) very small traders to (cough) come along for a very short while to (cough) operate beneath the radar of the ‘authorities’ (cough) for a spot of barter and purchase. Unlike the Old Curiosity Swap, money is allowed to change hands at the Illicit Market, or else it would if it ever happened.
Which obviously it doesn’t.
You could find out more about the illicit market on the Ministry of Steampunk website if you were so inclined. But you probably aren’t, because it never happens anyway
Grand Steampunk Parade
Sunday 22nd October. Meet in Zebedee’s Yard, 2pm for 2.15pm start.
Join in with the Ministry of Steampunk and the Hull Wilberforcian Steampunk group as we parade through the city from Zebedee’s Yard to Paragon Square to Trinity Square in fantastic costumes.
We welcome Steampunks and anyone in a costume to join the parade. Saturday’s Hulloween Parade will focus on perhaps the less glamorous side of Hulloween, whereas Sunday’s Grand Steampunk Parade will celebrate steampunk at its finest, so dress to impress.
At the end of the parade there will be medals awarded for the best adult and child costumes.
Facial Hair Competition
Sunday 22nd October. Trinity Market, at the end of the Grand Parade (approx 3pm).
With none other that Mr Sweeney Todd inviting festival goers to this year’s Immortal Ball it would seem remiss not to celebrate the occasion by holding a Facial Hair Competition.
You don’t need a Y chromosome to enter the competition, but you do need facial hair, even if you have borrowed it for the occasion.
The competition will take place in Trinity Market at the conclusion of the Grand Parade.
Bibliomancy 101
Sunday 22nd October. Meet at Zebedee’s Yard entrance, 3pm.
A WANDERING WRITING WORKSHOP WITH SHELLIE HORST
Graverobbing, map hunting, and weapon development… this is not your average quest.
Bring your imagination and join the most creative minds the north could spare to assemble a tale so impeccably gripping, even the walking dead will be unable to resist its pull.
Meet Shellie under the archway entrance to Zebedee’s Yard at 3pm for a walk, ending at Hepworth’s Arcade at 4pm.
All information sourced from the Hulloween Steampunk website. All details correct at time of publishing. For more info and tickets, check the official website here!
The Hulloween Steampunk Festival, which is organised by HullBID and the Ministry of Steampunk, will start on Friday 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 which will begin in Paragon Square and make its way through the city centre to join a Steampunk Market in Trinity Square and Hull Minster. An All Hallows Tide Choral Evensong will echo through the Minster between 4pm and 5pm.
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.
A Steampunk Market will be held in Zebedee’s Yard on Sunday, and attractions in Trinity Square will include large Steampunk artefact displays and performances by the Raven Morris Dancers before the finale of a Grand Steampunk Parade setting off from Paragon Square at 2.15pm.
Throughout the weekend there will be Steampunk talks in Hepworths Arcade with intriguing titles including Glunda the Veg Witch and Defensive Couture and Combative Coattails (or Why Zombies Love a Little Black Dress).
Other attractions include teapot racing and the Ullalele ukelele rock quartet in Trinity Market, an ethereal voices open mic challenge in the Minster and an Illicit Market in Zebedee’s Yard.
Most of the activities will be free to attend. You can book through the website for the history and ghost walks and for Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror.
HullBID Executive Director Kathryn Shillito said the quirky quality of Hulloween is 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 https://hulloweensteampunk.co.uk
