Larkin 25
| Larkin 25 – Arts Festival | |
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| Dates | 14 June to 2 December 2010 |
| Location(s) | Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire |
| Website | |
| http://www.larkin25.co.uk/ | |
Larkin 25 was an arts festival and cultural event in Kingston upon Hull, England, organised to mark the 25th anniversary of the death of the poet and University of Hull librarian, Philip Larkin. The festival was launched at Hull Truck Theatre on 14 June 2010 and concluded on 2 December 2010, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the poet's death, with the unveiling of a statue in his likeness at Hull Paragon Interchange.
Larkin was born in Coventry and lived in Hull while he was head librarian at the Brynmor Jones Library from 1955 until his death in 1985. Larkin was a jazz critic for The Daily Telegraph between 1961 and 1971. He lived for much of this time in a flat in Pearson Park in Hull near the University, and later in a house at Newland Park.
The Larkin 25 festival coincided with Hull's annual literature festival, 'Humber Mouth', and included walking tours, art and photography exhibitions, musical events and an exhibition of Larkin memorabilia. A compilation of Larkin's favourite jazz recordings titled "Larkin's Jazz" was released in conjunction with the festival. In June, Sir Tom Courtenay visited the University of Hull to perform a one-man play, Larkin Revisited, and repeated the performance at Hull Truck Theatre in November 2010. A Hull city bus was named "Philip Larkin" by Sir Andrew Motion in honour of the poet. On 7 October 2010, "Poetry on the Buses" was launched in Hull and East Yorkshire to coincide with National Poetry Day. Forty of Larkin's poems were displayed on East Yorkshire Motor Services vehicles until the end of the festival in December 2010.
The centrepiece of the festival was a public art display and trail, "Larkin with Toads", launched in the city centre on Saturday 17 July. It consisted of 40 fibre-glass toad sculptures, each painted with a unique design created by artists and local people inspired by Larkin's poems about working life, Toads and Toads Revisited. Examples of the designs included a "Larkin toad", a "Punk toad", a "Tiger Toad" (based on the mascot of Hull City A.F.C.) and a "Typographical toad" adorned with Larkin's poetry. The toads were auctioned for charity at the end of the event, though there were calls to make them a permanent feature. Most of the sculptures have been removed and transported to their new owners but some remained in situ after the sale. On 26 September 2010 it was reported that the toads had been auctioned for £60,000 though some had hoped their popularity could have made them a permanent feature.
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