Sonic Arts Week

Sonic Arts Week is back for its fourth year! Expect a celebration of sound, music and art with a total sonic takeover from 22 - 29 July

New to SAW? If so, let's get you up to speed. SAW is all about sound. Not quite music, not quite art, but some weird and wonderful place in between. All our events are free, accessible and (mostly) family friendly. It’s all about thinking with your ears. Make sense? Hmm, yeah, we’re not sure either!

Over the years we’ve cruised down the River Tees with wireless headphone sets playing music made from the River. In 2019 we created this using the vibrational sounds of the bridges along the Tees, and in 2021 we recorded under water! We’ve had bikes that turn the air around you into a world of sound and lunch time concerts on Centre Square. In 2023 it was all about Encounters bringing weird and wonderful playfulness to the streets.

Expect another year of sound walks, radio shows, gigs, sound installation and workshops for the bairns too. Keep an eye out for the 2024 edition of the festival!