What do a giant squid and NASA-inspired space training have in common? Find out at Tour de Moon convoy this summer.

From 11 May – 16 June the convoy visits 13 locations in the UK

Ticket info here

Bringing together talks, cinema, music, and games all under one cosmic theme – the Tour de Moon Convoy is day out like no other.

Tour de Moon celebrates the relationship between Earth and the Moon with several thought-provoking, exciting and original experiences, with a special focus on nightlife, creativity and culture.

Visit the Tour de Moon Convoy in Blackburn on May 19 May – a free public festival; tickets can be obtained here.

On its epic journey across the country, the Tour de Moon Convoy of sustainable vehicles and interactive experiences lands in Blackburn on 19 May.

Moon Convoy is a fully sustainable armada of vehicles, stopping in 13 towns and cities across the UK, features huge floats and interactive elements starting with a large rotating moon that appears and disappears at night with further interactive and ultra-violet experiences – expect cosmic transformations through live music and DJ sets, a full size replica of nine metre-long Archie The Squid who resides at The Natural History Museum, talks, film screenings, an inflatable game designed with the help of scientists at NASA SSERVI and the SETI Institute, a nine-piece Arkestra and a larger than life red telephone through which visitors can talk to the Moon.

The Tour der Moon Convoy is just one part of a travelling festival of activity that is stopping in three cities for four days, Leicester, Newcastle, and Southampton.

Tour de Moon’s creator is the creative director, artist, and filmmaker Dr. Nelly Ben Hayoun of Nelly Ben Hayoun Studios. Nelly is the founder of NASA’s International Space Orchestra and the tuition-free University of the Underground. Her large-scale projects have included collaborations with Noam Chomsky, Pussy Riot, Massive Attack and Kid Cudi to name but a few.

She is known for challenging institutions from within through events, and has done so at the United Nations, NASA and the International Astronautical Federation. Nelly’s fellow directors at Tour de Moon include Magid Magid, former Lord Mayor of Sheffield and founder of Union of Justice, Natasha Patterson, head coach at Pedro Youth Club, Dr Franck Marchis, chair of the exoplanet group at the SETI Institute, Damian Bradfield, President of WeTransfer and Adam Teskey, Manufacturing Director at The Vinyl Factory Plant.

Dr Nelly Ben Hayoun says “Our main objective of Tour de Moon is to prompt radical imagination, support pluralistic thinking so to offer alternative futures developed by and with youths. With this festival we decided to redistribute our funding and to use our platform to celebrate the nightlife sector and young adults –

demographics which have been hit especially hard by the impacts of Covid and funding cuts over the last few years.”

A key thread of Tour de Moon’s activity has been the exploding of STEAM outside of London to places around the UK. The presence of Archie the Giant Squid’s replica will also bring to life the influence that the moon has on the oceans beyond the walls of the Natural History Museum. As this will be the first time that a replica of Archie has been created, and John Ablett, curator at the Natural History Museum, said it was very exciting to have Archie as part of Tour de Moon.

“The giant squid is one of those amazing creatures that has captured the imagination of scientists and the public alike,” he said. “It is often said that we know more about the surface of the moon than the deep ocean, however as our understanding and exploration of the oceans increases this just isn’t true.

Founder Nelly Ben Hayouns says: “At first it may not seem like an obvious connection but the moon has so much influence on our lives and this is one of the many reasons for this festival, so we can build on and celebrate these connections. It then makes perfect sense for us to bring one of the rare denizens of the deep to life and we are very grateful to the Natural History Museum for allowing us to recreate Archie and introduce him to a whole new audience.”

Tour de Moon is one of 10 major creative projects commissioned as part of UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK, which is taking place across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales in 2022. UNBOXED: Creativity in the UK is the UK’s most ambitious showcase of creative collaboration and includes free large-scale events, installations and globally accessible digital experiences, and an extensive learning programme.

Martin Green, Chief Creative Officer of UNBOXED said “We are delighted to be on board the cosmic journey that is Tour De Moon, as we meet with young minds to experience and take part in the making of alternative futures in a free and public nationwide event. Now everyone, come along, get your tickets, and have a good time.”

Tour de Moon is made up of eight different strands as follows:

MOON EXPERIENCES

Moon Experiences is arriving to completely repurpose disused buildings within city centres, creating surreal and unusual theatrical spaces. Visitors can find themselves immersed in plays developed with new talents, whilst taking a trip to the Moon on psychedelic buggy rides. It includes a SoundBath by Loss><Gain, with an original two-hour experience featuring music and new compositions from some stellar musicians, experimentalists and composers such as Yelfris Valdès, Riz Ahmed, Oliver Coates, Jatinder Singh Durhailay & Suren Seneviratne; Roella Oloro, Rival Consoles, Gruff Rhys, Cosmo Sheldrake, Anna Meredith, Kae Tempest, Jarvis Cocker and more to be announced. 18+

MOON MUSIC

Moon Music brings the ‘afterparty’ to festival proceedings, a selection of the most unique new musical talents merging popular music with recordings of the galaxy, to create a new musical genre. Moon Music brings together Arkestra (nine young musicians and truth seekers on board a mobile convoy across England); Moon Recordings (a series of newly-commissioned alien musical genres); and Moonbounce (transmission to the Moon, an Earth-Moon-Earth (EME) technology) to club nights. There is also the moon on the dancefloor… 18+

MOON TALKS

Tour de Moon aims to shape our common futures through talks, performance, performed manifestos and sensory delights. Moon Talks – a key pillar of the festival – features a vibrant, pluralistic mix of voices sharing their electric experiences of nightlife through their passion for the moon, science, dancing and debates. 18+

MOON CINEMA

Moon Cinema is a collection of original new short films created by a new generation of filmmakers selected through an international competition. These films explore untraveled terrain, innovative aesthetics and urgent messages on care and youth countercultures and their experiences with nightlife. With Moon Cinema, Tour de Moon provides a platform for unique discourses and non-linear narratives on science subjects. 18+

MOON CONVOY

Moon Convoy is a fully sustainable armada of vehicles, stopping in 13 towns and cities across the UK. On its journey around the country, Moon Convoy will stops at a further nine towns and cities on the way, featuring big floats and interactive pieces starting with a large rotating moon that appears and disappears at night with further interactive and ultra-violet experiences – expect cosmic transformations through live music and DJ sets, a full size replica of nine metre-long Archie The Squid who resides at The Natural History Museum, talks, film screenings, an inflatable game designed with the help of scientists at NASA SSERVI and the SETI Institute, a nine-piece Arkestra and a larger than life red phone through which visitors can talk to the Moon.

MOON GAMES

What if the Moon had landed on Earth? What if the Moon was a psychedelic inflatable playground; a lunar landscape on which to play Moon Games? Collaborating with astrophysicists, sports groups and youth organisations and designed by NASA, Tour de Moon has fabricated all of this for eager attendees. It’s time to explore the Moon! 16+

MOON HOTLINE

Moon Hotline is a digital exploration of our own potential. AI (Artificial Intelligence) powered conversations with our new therapist (the Moon), digital experiences taking the form of a giant red phone, and a cascade of memes, videos and music by new talents around the world. It creates a radical online experience for anyone to explore, disappear and reappear…in a wormhole!

MOON PRESS

Moon Press is an urgent intervention into publishing. A zine that works to break down conventions between the environment, humans, and outer space. Moon Press is released at every full moon with a rotation of monthly appointed guest editors, designers and a selection of brilliant artists that challenge the status quo and offer alternatives for new futures.

BURSARIES

Nelly’s team has allocated more than £1m of its budget to bursaries for young creatives to produce their own original contributions for the event’s eight strands. Those who were awarded financial support have also had the opportunity to collaborate with leading scientists and thinkers from NASA SSERVI (Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute), the African Astronomical Society and the SETI (Search for the Extra-terrestrial Intelligence) Institute, among others.

Nelly hopes the event will amplify a plurality of young creative voices and ignite radical imagination.

MOON CONVOY FULL SCHEDULE

11 May, Bletchley – Stainer Square

12 May, Wolverhampton – Old Market Square

13 – 16 May, Leicester – Humberstone Gate

17 May, Grimsby – St. James’s Square

18 May, Huddersfield – St. George’s Square

19 May, Blackburn – Cathedral Square

20 May, Barrow in Furness – Duke Street, Town Square

27 – 30 May, Newcastle – Nelson Street/Grainger Street

8 June, Plymouth – Central Park Events Space

10 – 13 June, Southampton – Bargate