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Photographer marks 20 years of street festival

Pamela TickellNorth East and Cumbria
Simon Shaw A picture of a person wearing white and black face paint with his mouth wide open. He is wearing a white and silver costume and there is a crowd of people passing behind him. The picture is mounted in a brown/orange frame on a white wall.Simon Shaw
Adam Parkin's exhibition is being shown at ARC Stockton Arts Centre

A photographer is exhibiting his snaps from the last 20 years at the Stockton International Riverside Festival (SIRF).

Adam Parkin said he first attended the Teesside street theatre festival "in the womb" when his parents visited in 1991 just days before he was born, adding: "I've been there pretty much every year ever since."

His pictures aim to "capture the moment" from the public's point of view. He said: "I was attending the festival before I started taking photos so it's a continuation of that."

The exhibition, entitled SIRF's Up 2026: 20 Years Photographing the Festival, is at ARC Stockton Arts Centre until 8 August.

"A lot of people describe my photos as realistic because a lot of the time I'll just sit down at the front and watch a show while taking photos of it," he said.

The 34-year-old last exhibited at ARC Stockton Arts Centre a decade ago, covering 10 years of the theatre, dance, music and art acts that descended on the town from across the globe. His new show updated the collection.

Adam Parkin People are sitting on stone street furniture and watching a performance where someone dressed as a clown sprays water at a mans face. The man getting sprayed is wearing a black jacket and has a bemused look on his face.Adam Parkin
The Stockton International Riverside Festival is now in its 39th year
Adam Parkin Multiple rings of fire are stacked on top of each other and held aloft. The flames are bright yellow and orange in contrast to the night-time scene behind it. Adam Parkin
The town is taken over by theatre, dance and art acts over a long weekend in the summer
Adam Parkin A man wearing jeans and a vest is balancing on top of a tall wooden pole with ropes coming off it. He has short brown hair and is looking down towards the floor. There is a red-brick clocktower in the background which features a tall white tower.Adam Parkin
Parkin hoped the show would bring back fond memories over the years

Parkin, who is from Stockton, said: "It's just a very community atmosphere, everyone's happy, everyone talks to each other.

"Stockton's such a small town and to have such an international festival... it makes me quite proud actually."

He was inspired to take up photography at the festival after he took part in program called shutterbugs, where young people paid £1 for a disposable camera and were invited to take pictures of the festival.

The photos were developed and put into a competition.

"I don't think I ever won it," Parkin said, but noted people also shared their memories of the initiative in the comments book at his last show.

Simon Shaw Adam Parkin is standing in front of a row of his photographs. He has long, brown hair, facial hair and is wearing a red polo shirt. He is smiling slightly at the camera. On of the images over his left shoulder depicts a man wearing a black and gold uniform while playing the saxophone.Simon Shaw
Adam Parkin aimed to "capture the moment" with his snaps

The photographer has also been a visitor experience ambassador for the festival since 2014, not including the two years it was cancelled due to the pandemic.

He hoped the exhibition would inspire first-time visitors and regulars.

"There's people that attend the festival year in, year out, and I hope for them it's a retrospective look and it brings back a few memories of shows from times gone by.

"But I also hope for newcomers, it shows Stockton in a positive light."

This year's 39th SIRF and will run from Friday 31 July to Sunday 2 August.

Simon Shaw Two images are displayed side by side in the exhibition. The one on the left shows a man crouching on a small platform between two windows of a red-brick building with his arm outstretched. Another man is standing by the window behind him. The second image is out of focus.Simon Shaw
SIRF's Up 2026: 20 Years Photographing the Festival is on until 8 August
Simon Shaw Adam Parkin is crouching in front of one of two cabinets lined with photos. There is a wooden, slatted design on the wall behind him and three bare lightbulbs shining over head.Simon Shaw
Parkin hoped to inspire visitors old and new

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