Hull city centre is getting ready to rock with a free live music programme geared to pulling more people into the pubs and caf茅 bars.

HullBid is behind the Trinity Festival Rebooted, which will present 80 free gigs in 10 venues over two days at the end of this month. It has secured public funding to support the initiative, which will be followed up in the coming months.

Richard Clark, whose company operates three of the pubs, said the move throws a lifeline to a hospitality sector still finding its feet after the economic hits of recent years. He said: 鈥滻t鈥檚 important because the recovery has been slow for hospitality and we all need to look for new income streams. Live music, comedy, sport, different things work for different venues at different times. The music will bring more people into the city centre and maybe entice them into places they haven鈥檛 tried before. It鈥檚 up to the pubs to show them a great time and encourage them to come back for the other Trinity Festival Rebooted events and the weekends in between!鈥

Trinity Rebooted Festival has its roots in the HullBid Trinity Festival, which gave local bands the chance to play support slots to big-name headliners in a series of free outdoor gigs. The new version takes the live performances into the bars across the city centre. From 2pm until 5.30pm on Saturday, September 30 and Sunday, October 1, there will be eight performances a day in each venue.

Richard is area sales, marketing and events manager at Advocate Group, which operates the Dram Shop, Hull Cheese and Humber Dock. 鈥淲e鈥檒l have 24 acts at our three venues over the two days and we鈥檙e looking forward to it because this is exactly what鈥檚 needed to bring people back into the city centre and back into the pubs,鈥 he said. It鈥檚 great holding events in the public spaces during the summer and this builds on that by helping to get the customers in during the winter months. It will help us bring new people into the pubs and introduce them to new places.鈥

Reardon Love, a band taking part in Trinity Festival Rebooted.
Reardon Love, a band taking part in Trinity Festival Rebooted.

Other participating pubs are O鈥橪eary鈥檚, Telstar 2, Nanouk, Calla, Scale & Feather and Crown & Cushion in Old Town and Tap House in the Fruit Market. Trinity Rebooted Festival will also take place over the weekends of November 25/26, January 27/28 and March 30/31 It is being programmed by Mark Page and Daniel Mawer from the weekly Sesh night, Trinity Live and Humber Street Sesh.

HullBid is producing brochures detailing the venues and performers, as well as distributing posters, pop-up banners and media content and is organising event management including booking the acts and engineers. Kathryn Shillito, HullBid executive director, said: 鈥淲e鈥檒l be sourcing logistical and technical support and the venues will be paying the performers. The idea came from talking to city centre businesses about how we can work together to boost the afternoon and early evening economy, especially during the months that aren鈥檛 generally as busy for the hospitality sector.

鈥淲e managed to get some money from the Government鈥檚 海角视频 Shared Prosperity Fund and now we鈥檙e ready to go with an array of live music ranging from solo acoustic to full bands, depending on the size and requirements of the venue.鈥