The Herd makes space for childhood. Rooted in Hull, and acclaimed nationally, we collaborate with young children to dream up shows, installations and programmes of play that spark joy, celebrate child creativity and nurture family connection. We believe in the radical power of the arts to reimagine a world with more space for early childhood, a world where children thrive and families flourish.

We tour shows to libraries and the UK’s leading theatres. We build installations in disused shops and world famous venues. We run creative play sessions in libraries, family hubs and schools.

In recent years we have made REPLAY: A limitless recycled playground, a Southbank Centre commission. Our baby show Counting Sheeps, picked up the Audience Impact and Innovation Award from the Fantastic Families Awards and toured nationally in 2025 & 2026. In 2025 we launched Play Herd, innovative artist-led play sessions in Hull’s Family Hubs.