This story is sponsored by Glampfest, Suds with Buds, Malton Food Lovers Festival and Spiegeltent.
Glampfest
About: Step into the magic of Glampfest, the beloved family festival just a five minute drive away from Knaresborough. Prepare for a weekend overflowing with laughter, adventure, and live music, promising an unforgettable experience for every member of the family.
With the option to camp for the entire weekend or simply join for a day of excitement with a Saturday day ticket, there’s a way for everyone to take part in the festivities.
As Glampfest celebrates our seventh year, it has become known for its family-friendly atmosphere, boasting a vibrant array of traders, delicious street food sure to satisfy every craving, and an outstanding line-up of live performances that will have you dancing the night away.
But the fun doesn’t stop there – dive into a whirlwind of activities, from quirky quizzes to lively bingo games, from circus workshops to drumming sessions, where all ages are welcome.
(Image: Glampfest)
The little ones are sure to be kept busy with party games and sports activities designed just for them, ensuring smiles throughout the weekend.
And let’s not forget about the renowned silent disco. Slip on your headphones and choose from three channels to dance along to, or head to the acoustic stage to discover hidden musical gems from across Yorkshire.
Excitingly, 2024 marks the debut of a Wellness Tent, a sanctuary where families can unwind and recharge amidst the festival bustle. From yoga to meditation, indulge in moments of tranquillity and connection together.
Whether you’re a seasoned festival-goer or a newcomer to the scene, pack your bags and join Glampfest for a weekend filled with fun.
About: Rooster’s Brewing Co. will be playing host to the 2024 instalment of Suds With Buds, the Harrogate-based brewery’s invitational beer, street food and live music festival. Taking place on Saturday June 29th and spanning the combined site of the brewery, yard, taproom, event bar and beer garden, tickets are now on sale at the Rooster’s website.
The inaugural event took place in 2023 as part of Rooster’s 30th anniversary celebrations and proved to be such a success that it’s expected to sell-out once again, despite capacity having been increased for 2024.
Suds With Buds will once again deliver a line-up of over 100 exceptional beers from some of the UK’s most respected and talked-about breweries, including for the first time, Kernel, DEYA, Burnt Mill, Track, and Marble.
Stiegl from Austria and Spanish brewery, Peninsular will also be pouring their beers. On top of the beers, there will be four street food traders serving up some of the tastiest food the North has to offer, across an eclectic mix of styles and dietary requirements.
(Image: Suds with Buds)
Rooster’s will be announcing who each of the traders are in the run-up to the event. The purpose-built live music stage in the beer garden will play host to some fantastic musical talent from the Harrogate area and from further afield too – ideal for pairing with a few tasty suds with your buds.
The single-session event will run from 2pm – 8pm and is ticket-only entrance, with the taproom closed to non-festival goers on the day.
Malton Food Lovers Festival
About: Taking place across the historic market town of Malton, North Yorkshire, the Malton Food Lovers Festival is a celebration of seasonal local produce and Yorkshire’s finest cooking. Expect artisan food stalls, street food, live music, family entertainment, chef demos, producer talks and more.
There’s also the popular Malton Sculpture Trail too – there really is something for everyone! Malton’s family foodie extravaganza is a festival like no other – a giant celebration, a huge gourmet street party – ‘Yorkshire’s Foodie Glastonbury’ is back for 2024.
With over 100 food stalls confirmed, an exciting itinerary of chef demos and ‘sofa chats’ with celebrated local chefs on the main stage, there’ll be plenty to enjoy. All the demos on the main stage are free of charge.
Younger family members can enjoy the festival too, with Be Amazing Arts hosting a series of children’s activities and workshops over the whole bank holiday weekend and Magical Quests North will be running free shows in Kemp’s Courtyard as well.
(Image: Malton Food Festival)
The Malton Food Lovers Festival is free to enter, and the fun begins at 9am on Saturday, and 10am on Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday.
There are designated festival Park & Ride car parks operating at a small charge each day. The Park & Ride service will be available at each entrance to Malton from the A64, with a regular shuttle bus service direct to the event entrance.
Malton is also easily accessible by train or bus with an hourly service on the Liverpool to Scarborough line and the award-winning Yorkshire Coastliner service – the station is just a 10 minute walk from the festival entrance.
Harrogate Spiegeltent
About: With its bohemian mirrored walls, wooden floors, red velvet booths and lamped lighting, the Spiegeltent is a unique and magical venue, much-loved by festival-goers from Harrogate and beyond.
Returning to Crescent Gardens from June 28 – July 7, 2024, the Spiegeltent, sponsored by Ogden of Harrogate, will host a vibrant party in town this summer, with nine days of music and entertainment in a lineup that includes cabaret, jazz, soul, dance, burlesque and more.
Drag queen superstar Divina De Campo opens on June 28 with a glamourous evening of cabaret, whilst Festival favourites The Gypsy Queens and the feather-ruffling House of Burlesque with their iconic silent disco are back to join this year’s line-up.
Also making a welcome return is the hugely talented British jazz singer Jo Harrop, who has garnered a host of awards and rave reviews – and performed sell-out gigs at Ronnie Scott’s. And of course, Harrogate’s legendary nightclub, Jimmy’s, is also back by popular demand with DJ Trev hitting the decks.
(Image: Richard Maude for Harrogate International Festivals)
Bradford-based dance company Punjabi Roots, who went down a storm at last year’s Harrogate Carnival, will make their Spiegeltent debut, along with contemporary soul singer Mica Sefia.
Classical music fans will love the prize-winning Gildas Quartet, famed for exploring new ways of performing classical music, whilst the brilliant Maxwell Quartet will perform on Sunday, July 7, bringing their signature mix of folk tunes and a smattering of classical favourites as the Spiegeltent draws to a close.
Keep an eye out for the Children’s Festival on July 6 – 7, as well as yoga, sound baths and a series of daytime activities throughout the week. There’s something for everyone down at the Spiegeltent, so get the dates in your diary and book now for an unforgettable night out in a magnificent venue.
Beer lovers in the Harrogate district will be spoiled for choice with two festivals taking place in Knaresborough and Harrogate.
This weekend, Knaresborough Lions will stage their annual beer festival during the FEVA arts festival. It gets underway tonight (Friday) at Knaresborough House from 7pm where there will also be live music on offer for revellers.
Entry is free and there will be a large selection of beers, ciders, lagers, wine, soft drinks and food available.
On Saturday, the festival runs from 12pm until 11pm and will coincide with FEVA’s Picnic in the Park, which is also being held at Knaresborough House.
On Sunday, the festival starts from 12pm until the beer runs out.
Harrogate Beer Week
Harrogate is gearing up for the return of its beer week following its debut event in 2021.
Running from September 19-25, Harrogate Beer Week will celebrate the town’s craft beer scene, brewing heritage and beer in the community.
There will be events hosted at bars, brewery taps, and other venues across Harrogate such as beer and food pairings, blind beer tasting quizzes, bottle shares, home brew competitions, talks and brewery tours exploring the making of beer.
Other features on the programme will include an ‘Indie Beer Trail’ and live local music and a special local beer has been brewed for the occasion. The programme will be announced on August 24.
The event is being sponsored by Harrogate Business Improvement District, Cold Bath Brewing Co, Daleside Brewery, Harrogate Brewing Co, Roosters Brewing Co, and Turning Point brew Co and Black Sheep Brewery.
Harrogate Beer Week was created by Harrogate-based Rachel Auty. She said:
“This event is a spotlight on the very best of what’s on offer in Harrogate and is created and delivered by people who actually live and work here, and know the town.
“The north of England is a superb destination for great craft beer and I’m incredibly proud of the beer scene we have in Harrogate — we boast some of the UK’s leading innovators in brewing and a truly unique portfolio of indie bars and taprooms.”
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Programme revealed for Harrogate’s crime writing festival
Harrogate International Festivals has announced the full programme for the 2022 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival.
The four-day event offers the chance to discover the next big names in crime fiction and hear giants of the genre discuss their work. It includes panels, workshops and talks.
The line-up has been curated by this year’s festival chair, the novelist Denise Mina.
Special guests headlining the festival include crime fiction authors Lynda La Plante, Paula Hawkins, Tess Gerritsen, Michael Connelly, Lucy Foley, Charlie Higson, John Connolly, CL Taylor and Kathy Reichs.
Other speakers set to appear include broadcaster and crime fiction debut author, Rev Richard Coles, comedian Frankie Boyle and TV chef Rosemary Shrager.
Read more:
This year’s programme will also feature two author dinners, attended by popular crime and thriller writers including: politician and debut novelist Alan Johnson, author Andrew Hunter Murray and bestselling thriller writer Syd Moore.
The festival runs from July 21-24 at Harrogate’s Old Swan Hotel.
Sharon Canavar, chief executive of Harrogate International Festivals, said:
“We are absolutely thrilled to announce the programme for this year’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival. Denise has done a wonderful job curating a line-up which demonstrates the amazing breadth of crime fiction writing and points to an exciting future for the genre.
“We can’t wait to hear all these brilliant speakers take to the stage and share their insights, stories and predictions of what lies ahead for crime fiction and thriller writing!”
For more information visit HIF’s website.
Ripon Library hosts a colourful Holi celebrationWith perfect timing, yesterday’s bright sunshine marked the start of Holi and saw a celebratory event at Ripon Library.
The Hindu festival signals the arrival of spring — focusing on love, new life and reconciliation.
Following the Diwali celebration staged at the library in November, Sarita McDermott, owner of the Realitea Indian bistro and tearoom on North Street, brought an insight into the culture of her native country.
Supported, once more, by a team of dancers from Jennyruth Workshops and the library’s outreach librarian Claire Thompson, the event provided an authentic taste of Indian culture, through readings, music, dancing and food.
Ms. McDermott, told the audience:
“Holi is all about making a fresh start, forgiving and forgetting, loving and looking forward, as we leave the cold winter weather behind us and enjoy the spring and sunshine.”
Part of the Holi Festival celebrations involve coating people with brightly-coloured powder paint. Picture: BBC
The festival features dancing, singing and, at some locations (though not Ripon Library), the throwing of powder paint and coloured water, in celebration of the Hindu god Krishna and the legend of Holika and Prahlad.
Ms Thompson, who gave a reading about Holi, told the Stray Ferret:
“It’s a pleasure for the library to hold brilliant events such as this, which enable people, particularly children, to learn about different cultures and how festivals are celebrated in other countries, just as we celebrate Easter and Christmas in this country.”
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Harrogate Fake Festival is set to return this summer after a two-year break due to coronavirus.
Tickets are now live for the Harrogate edition of the event, which will be held on the Stray on July 16. Gates will open at 11.45am and close at 11pm.
The event will feature tribute acts for artists such as The Rolling Stones, Duran Duran, The Killers, Kasabian and Depeche Mode.
Although none of the acts feature the real artists, the organisers said they all “look, sound and move like the real rock-stars”.
The giant marquee will host the bands as well as a licensed bar. Outside revellers will find a variety of food traders as well as children’s activities.
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The event has been held on the Stray every summer since 2015, except for 2019 when it was moved to Killinghall Moor Country Park, and for the last two years, when it was cancelled.
The company Fake Festivals runs similar events across the country during the summer.
A spokesperson for Fake Festivals said:
After skipping two years, we’re chuffed to be back on the Stray for your annual Fake-Fest.
“We’ve rocked with you guys for many-a-year, so we know this’ll be a belter. We really can’t wait for your party-rocking.
“Round up your mates, get the voices ready and polish your dancing shoes – live music is back in town!”
Early-bird adult tickets cost £32.50 and a family of four ticket costs £95. Young people and those with a disability get a discounted rate.
Ripon saint’s parade couldn’t go marching inThere was no marching in Ripon today as celebrations of the city’s patron Saint Wilfrid had to be significantly scaled down because of social distancing requirements.
The procession around the streets traditionally in step to the music of Ripon City Band, along with accompanying children’s funfair on Market Place, Morris Dancing and a service in the cathedral, were all cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
However, some citizens were still determined to ensure that a celebration of St Wilfrid would still go ahead, albeit in a reduced form.
For Pearl Abbot, the loss of this year’s procession came as a great disappointment, as she has been actively involved in the event for 30 years – many of which saw her working within a team to create elaborate themed floats for Ripon power contractor FB Taylor of Dallamires Lane.
Mrs Abbot told the Stray Ferret:
“I was sad when I heard that the procession could not go ahead this year. With it also being Yorkshire Day, my friend Val and I had planned to go along wearing costumes designed out of the Yorkshire Flag.”
With no city-wide celebrations this year, Mrs Abbot decided to transform the front garden and fencing at her home in Quarry Moor Lane, Ripon, into a carnival-style display featuring yellow, blue and white balloons, flags, hand-made paper flowers and an extensive exhibition of photographs from processions held in previous years.
Ripon Morris Dancers Band performed in Church Street
She hoped the display, assembled with help from granddaughter Joanne, would provide an enjoyable walk down memory lane for passers by. It will be in place over the remainder of the weekend.
Like the Hornblower’s nightly ceremony, which has been temporarily forced to take place behind closed doors and May’s VE Day 75th Anniversary Celebrations, activities had to be limited to protect public safety.
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Ripon City Swimming Club, which usually has a float in the annual procession, erected a static display at the Spa Baths, with the message ‘Just Keep Swimming’ and not far away, in Church Street, Ripon Morris Dancers Band provided socially distanced entertainment.
The musicians, along with dancers, have been taking part in the St Wilfrid’s day event since 1983.