50 great events in Yorkshire for your diary in 2017
JANUARY
Hull welcomes in New Year as City of Culture
1 January
The city hosts an epic and free pyrotechnic display from barges in the Humber to launch its year in the spotlight. Tickets are free but if you can’t get one and you are in Hull, just look up and you will see the fireworks just fine.
hull2017.co.uk
Scarborough’s New Year’s Day Dip
1 January
A charity event organised by Scarborough Lions when people in fancy dress plunge into a freezing cold North Sea for a New Year dip at the seafront, Scarborough.
0845 8339892
scarborough.lions@talktalk.net
FEBRUARY
Snowdrop Spectacular
4 February- 5 March
Each February, hundreds of thousands of hardy snowdrops push through the cold winter ground to create a magnificent ‘white carpet’ across the woodland floor behind Burton Agnes Hall, a much-loved Elizabethan stately home.
01262 490324 burtonagnes.com
Coastival
17-19 February
It’s a fresh new look for this coastal arts festival in Scarborough. The theme is the unexpected but do expect to see new and exciting artwork, music and performances in unusual places.
coastival.com
Jorvik Viking Festival
20-26 February
Europe’s largest Viking festival paves the way for the return of the Vikings to York. Organisers say it will provide the perfect prologue to the re-opening after devastating floods of the world-famous JORVIK Viking Centre later in the year with Eric Bloodaxe taking centre stage. The team creating the festival programme have taken inspiration from King Eric Bloodaxe’s reign which led to significant changes to the Viking city of Jorvik.
01904 615505 jorvik-viking-festival.co.uk
Dark Skies Festival
18-26 February
Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors National Park Authorities team up again to stage a second Dark Skies Festival. Stargazers will be introduced to the beauty of the skies and the nocturnal wonders of the national parks during a series of night events. Interesting to note businesses and attractions are waking up to possible benefits of growing astro-tourism.
northyorkmoors.org.uk/darkskies
yorkshiredales.org.uk/stargazing
Festival of Food, Drink & Rhubarb
17-19 February
The festival showcases local food and drink producers and celebrates the district’s unique tradition of rhubarb growing and its importance to the local economy, with an exciting mix of live cookery demonstrations, street entertainment, workshops and taster sessions.
wakefield.gov.uk/residents/events-and-culture/events/festival-food-drink-rhubarb
MARCH
Burton Agnes Orchid Festival
4 & 5 March
Burton Agnes has its annual Orchid Festival with stunning exhibitions in the hall plus flower sales. Expert advisors will give talks and take questions about how to care for orchids, and there will be slide shows and stalls selling orchid related goods.
01262 490324 burtonagnes.com
Huddersfield Literature Festival
4-19 March
Alan Johnson, Jenni Murray and Ian Rankin will all be appearing at HLF2017.
Get your tickets now.
01484 430228 litfest.org
Yorkshire Brass Band Championships
4 & 5 March
More than 60 bands will be competing at Huddersfield Town Hall, all seeking the opportunity to represent Yorkshire at the National Brass Band Championships of Great Britain. It’s the battle of the giants including Black Dyke, Brighouse and Rastrick, Grimethorpe Colliery and Rothwell Temperance Band.
01484 225755 regional-contest.org.uk/yorkshire
York Literature Festival
16-30 March
The festival promotes the arts in York, with an emphasis on literature, spoken word and poetry. It also features music, comedy, cinema and theatre in its programme.
yorkliteraturefestival.co.uk
APRIL
Harrogate Spring Flower Show
20-23 April
One of the first if not the first gardens event of the season featuring beautiful show gardens, the very latest in gardening trends, great shopping, live entertainment and the biggest exhibition by florists and flower arrangers in the country.
01423 546157 flowershow.org.uk/spring-show-2017
York Open Studios
21-23 April and 29 & 30 April
See where artists, working in a variety of media, create their paintings, sculptures, jewellery and much. Artists and makers were still to be announced as we go to print.
yorkopenstudios.co.uk
World Snooker Championships
15 April-1 May
The world’s best compete for the biggest prize in the sport at the Crucible Theatre. Tickets are already on sale.
cruciblesnooker.co.uk
Whitby Goth Weekend
21-23 April
Goths from all over the UK and beyond flock to the seaside town every year for the weekend to celebrate their music and culture. Events are being arranged as we go to print.
whitbygothweekend.co.uk
Tour de Yorkshire
28-30 April
The cycle extravaganza gets into gear for the third year. Starting and finishing towns include Bridlington and Scarborough, Harrogate and Tadcaster, Bradford and Fox Valley, Sheffield.
letour.yorkshire.com
MAY
Malton Food Lovers’ Festival
27 & 28 May
A celebration of Yorkshire’s finest produce and cooking and the 2017 festival is set to be the biggest yet. Expect heaving stalls, delicious street food, talks, tastings, celebrity chef demos, cookery lessons and much more!
maltonyorkshire.co.uk/food-lovers-festival
Dante Festival
17-19 May
York winners of this festival will be the ones to watch for the rest of the racing season. All the action is at York Racecourse of course.
01904 620911 yorkracecourse.co.uk
Swaledale Festival
27 May-10 June
A two-week festival that attracts some of the finest classical musicians from across the world.
Contact best by email enquiries@swalefest.org swaledale-festival.org.uk
Holmfirth Festival of Folk
5-7 May
The festival’s music sessions, concerts, sing-arounds, folk clubs and workshops take place various venues in Holmfirth and most events are free. Organisers produce a community based festival and like to involve schools, local talent, supported by local businesses and a small army of volunteers.
holmfirthfestivaloffolk.co.uk
JUNE
Macmillan Charity Race
17 June
This is the cancer charity’s single biggest fundraising event and is racing’s largest charity race day at York Racecourse. The race is now in its sixth year and likely to raise more than £450,000.
01904 620911 yorkracecourse.co.uk
Equi-Trek Bramham International Horse Trials
8 June-11 June
The event attracts leading names in the sport including royalty. Book your tickets now 01937 846005
bramham-horse.ticketsrv.co.uk.
Beverley Folk Festival
16-18 June
Award-winning, critically acclaimed contemporary folk artist Ben Maggs is confirmed for this year’s event at Beverley Racecourse along with singer-songwriter Kelly Oliver plus many more.
01377 219112 beverleyfolkfestival.com
Grassington Festival
16 June-1 July
Two weeks of music and arts in the Yorkshire Dales. Headline acts announced so far include Clare Teal and her Hollywood Orchestra, the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, the Heath Quartet and booked for a gala concert are Raphael Wallfisch and Ben Crick; plus Bananarama appearing at the Last Night Party.
01756 752691 grassington-festival.org.uk
Dales Festival of Food & Drink
17 & 18 June
The Leyburn event celebrates the very best of locally produced food and drink, plus cookery theatre and attracts crowds from around the region. Entry is free.
Contact via email admin@dalesfestivaloffood.org
Dalesfestivaloffood.org
Harlow Carr Flower Show
23 June-25 June
The three-day floral extravaganza takes place against a backdrop of the early summer garden plus more than 30 specialist nurseries and garden trade stands, offering you the chance to get hints and tips from the growers themselves.
rhs.org.uk/harlowcarr
Bradford Literature Festival
30 June-9 July
Every year world-renowned authors, poets, musicians and artists are invited to visit the city to share their expertise and passions with the audience.
bradfordliteraturefestival.co.uk
JULY
Great Yorkshire Show
11 July-13 July
This is one of the country’s leading agricultural events featuring the best of English farming and rural life. The show attracts more than 130,000 visitors every year to its Harrogate showground.
greatyorkshireshow.co.uk
Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival
20-23 July
The world class, award-winning Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, now in its15th year, celebrates the very best in crime fiction at the magnificent Old Swan Hotel each July. The Festival is a firm date in the literary calendar and has achieved international acclaim for the programming, organisation and atmosphere.
01423 562303 harrogateinternationalfestivals.com
Hull Folk and Maritime Festival
15-17 July
A showcase for more than 70 local, national and international acts, performing mostly free of charge at a variety of venues; there will be sing-around and tunes sessions in local pubs as well as folk dance team displays, while several historic vessels will be moored up in the Marina, providing public access and hosting performances. Running alongside the event will be the Minerva Real Ale Festival, with over 60 top quality beers to choose from.
hull2017.co.uk/whatson/events/hull-folk-maritime-festival
Bridlington Open Beach Volleyball Championships
8 & 9 July
At least 100 teams take part in the tournament on the South Beach making it one of the largest in the country. The competition has taken place every year since 1982.
bridbeach.co.uk
Driffield Show
19 July
The Driffield Show is believed to be one of the biggest single day county shows in the country attracting as many as 30,000 people to the Driffield showground. Visitors often pack out rows of stalls selling crafts, country wear and locally produced food as well as marvel at champion livestock as their owners collect hard won trophies.
driffieldshow.co.uk
Deershed Festival
21-23 July
An unconventional family friendly music festival at Baldersby Park, Topcliffe with a line-up that promises to be ‘as thrilling and contemporary as you will find at any UK festival…share that thrill with your kids and feel perfectly safe at the same time’ says the website.
deershedfestival.com
Yorkshire Dales Food & Drink Festival
22 & 23 July
Celebrity chef James Martin is patron of the festival and will be at the event on the 23rd. Fellow chef John Torode appears on the 22nd. All the fun of the festival will be at Funkirk Farm, a working farm just outside Skipton. On the sight are a vintage funfair, live music, bars, a spirit and cocktail theatre, a kids’ craft area, a beers and bangers tent and an artisan cookery school.
yorkshiredalesfoodanddrinkfestival.co
AUGUST
Ebor Festival
23-26 August
One of the oldest, richest, fastest and the most famous of racing festivals at one of the country’s leading racecourses.
01904 620911 yorkracecourse.co.uk
Whitby Regatta
19-21 August
Join a full weekend of entertainment including yacht racing, rowing races and various free entertainment. The Whitby Regatta, celebrating more than 175 years, is probably the oldest sea regatta on the northeast coast and draws large crowds into Whitby.
whitbyregatta.co.uk
Scarborough Cricket Festival
6-9 August
It’s Yorkshire v Essex at a great favourite sporting event and over the years the festival has played host to some of the world’s greatest cricketers. The ground, situated at North Marine Road, has seen large crowds of holiday makers watching first class cricket since 1876.
scarboroughcricketclub.co.uk
Leeds Festival
25-27 August
Bramham Park’s music extravaganza near Wetherby has Muse, Major Laser and Bastile as headline acts with more to be announced.
leedsfestival.com
Tribfest
17-20 August
This is thought to be the biggest tribute band festival in the world aimed at entertaining all the family and celebrating its 11th year in the parkland at Sledmere House, East Yorkshire.
tribfest.co.uk
10th National Summer Games, Sheffield
7-12 August
At least 2,500 athletes with intellectual disabilities of all ages and abilities will come together from across the country. They will be supported over four days of competition by 700 coaches, 600 volunteers and over 6,000 family and friends. A spectacular Olympic-style opening ceremony will kick-off the event at Sheffield United FC, with a closing ceremony at Sheffield Arena.
specialolympicsgb.org.uk/2017-sheffield-games
Leeds West Indian Carnival
28 August
This time preparations for the colourful Bank Holiday event are extra special as the anticipation builds for the carnival’s 50th anniversary. Fabulous costumes plus tastes, sights and sounds that make Leeds West Indian Carnival one of Europe’s most adored Caribbean carnivals.
leedscarnival.co.uk
SEPTEMBER
Freedom Festival
1-3 September
Freedom Festival will conclude the ‘Freedom Season’ during Hull’s City of Culture celebrations. Ambitious plans are under way, and discussions – with extraordinary artists, producers and musicians, thinkers and innovators from Hull, the UK and across the globe – are in motion.
freedomfestival.co.uk
Harrogate Autumn Flower Show
15-17 September
Beautiful show gardens, stunning plant nursery displays, live expert demonstrations and great gardening shopping from gloves to greenhouses, while handmade crafts, lovely gifts and tempting specialist foods all add to the perfect day out.
01423 546157 flowershow.org.uk/autumn-show-2017
St Leger Festival
16 September
This is one of the most historic classic horseracing events in the calendar at Doncaster Racecourse and this year is its 241st anniversary
01302 304200 doncaster-racecourse.co.uk
Ilkley Literature Festival
29 September-15 October
The festival continues to attract some of the biggest names in the literary world and is an inspiration to writers and readers alike.
ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk
Yarndale
23 & 24 September
A creative festival celebrating of all things woolly and wonderful with exhibitions, demonstrations and workshops held at the Skipton Auction Mart.
yarndale.co.uk
OCTOBER
Plusnet Yorkshire Marathon
8 October
The event takes runners past some of York’s most historic sights and along scenic country lanes. Get in training and register your interest now.
theyorkshiremarathon.com
Countryside Live
21 & 22 October
It’s one of the last countryside events of the year that offers a great rural showcase for all the family, organised by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and held at the Great Yorkshire Show showground, Harrogate.
countrysidelive.co.uk
NOVEMBER
Leeds International Film Festival
2-16 November
The longstanding festival celebrates all things film and cinema but it is early days for this year’s programme but keep checking their website for details.
leedsfilm.com
DECEMBER
Boxing Day Dip
26 December
The Boxing Day Dip takes place annually at Whitby and is one of the main Christmas events in the town. It is organised by Whitby Lions and anyone crazy enough to take part are good eggs because they are raising money for various charities.
whitbylions.org/boxing-day-dip