A giant inflatable snow globe is coming to Ripon as part of the city’s festivities next month.

Residents and visitors will be able to step inside the inflatable to create a free Christmas photo opportunity.

The globe, which will have biodegradable snow, will be in Ripon from December 14 to 17.

Ripon Business Improvement District, which is funded by traders to increase the number of city centre visitors, has devised the scheme in partnership with tourism organisation Visit Harrogate.

They are marketing the snow globe as “a hugely popular attraction that instantly transports you to your very own winter wonderland”.

It will be in Ripon at the same time as the winter wonderland illuminations in Spa Gardens, which take place from December 15 to 17.

Here’s where you can find the snow globe:

December 14 — 1pm to 7pm The Ripon Inn, Park Street

December 15 — 1pm to 7pm Ripon Cathedral forecourt, Minster Road

December 16 — 1pm to 7pm Ripon Market Square

December 17 — 1pm to 7pm Ripon Market Square

Read more:

• Tree campaigners to hold protest against Ripon Cathedral’s £6m annex plans
• Moorside Primary School in Ripon rated ‘good’ by Ofsted

Restaurants across the Harrogate district will be offering discount deals next month, when Visit Harrogate Restaurant Week returns. 

The week-long event runs from Monday, October 9, to Sunday, October 15, and will see at least 15 participating restaurants and food outlets offer set-price dining deals for £10, £15, £20 and £30. Big names taking part include Bettys, The Ivy, Hotel du Vin and the Clocktower Brasserie at Rudding Park.

This October’s Restaurant Week runs for longer than last year’s inaugural event, and incorporates Sunday, October 15, to capture the weekend visitor footfall and coincide with the Harrogate Music Weekender organised by Harrogate BID. 

The weekend of October 13-15 will see live performances, street entertainers and special offers driving further footfall to Harrogate’s town centre hospitality venues. 

Harrogate BID is supporting the week-long event by providing free parking in the Jubilee Car Park in Harrogate from 4pm daily until it closes. 

The purpose of Restaurant Week, which is organised by Destination Harrogate, is twofold. Pre-fixed prices help diners to plan what to spend in advance, encouraging them to discover new places to eat.

It also offers businesses in the food and hospitality industry an opportunity to raise their profile. Following the first Restaurant Week in February, many participating businesses reported an increase in bookings and in footfall for the week – while also showing interest for a follow-up event later in the year. 

Read more:

• Harrogate set to host three-day music weekender
• Refugees set up Harrogate district’s first Afghan pop-up restaurant
• New bar and restaurant to open in Knaresborough

Helen Suckling, partnership and commercial manager for Destination Harrogate, said:  

“The feedback we received from February’s event was very positive and, in extending the time that diners are given to enjoy Restaurant Week, we’re also extending the opportunity to boost business for our food and hospitality trade at a traditionally quieter time of the year.” 

Customers can take advantage of the lower priced menus and food deals by visiting participating restaurants, cafés and food outlets and quoting the offer. 

Gemma Rio, head of Destination Harrogate, said:  

“Excellent food and drink is one of the Harrogate area’s tourism strengths and, through Restaurant Week, we’re showcasing the diversity of our dining offer. 

“Restaurant Week also supports our commitment to sustainable tourism. In finding new ways to attract visitors and spread footfall across the whole year, we’re offering new opportunities to our local businesses, along with great deals to our visitors and residents alike.”  

Businesses can sign up to the initiative via the Destination Harrogate website.  

For information on menu offers and the dates on which they are available, see the Visit Harrogate website. 

Visit Harrogate is the official tourism website for the Harrogate area of North Yorkshire. It is operated by Destination Harrogate, which is part of North Yorkshire Council.  

Harrogate town centre will become a cultural hub tomorrow when it welcomes the return of Harrogate Carnival.

Launched in 2019, the carnival is commissioned by Visit Harrogate – a tourism organisation run by North Yorkshire Council and produced by Harrogate International Festivals.

The free one-day event will showcase an array of world music and entertainment, as well as street theatre, a dance stage, and a food quarter.

Live dance and music performances will fill the streets of the town, including Leeds West Indian Carnival, Zulu performers, Ubunye, and St Aelred’s Irish Dance Group.

There will be an interactive display from Close-Act, an inflatable lobster from Lobster A la Cart, as well as moving sculptures from Hebden Bridge’s Handmade Parade.

A Chinese dragon will take centre stage.

Foodies will find cuisines from around the world, from Greek gyros to Japanese rice dishes to Turkish kebabs and churros.

People can also take part is various workshops to learn about international cultures, including a dhol drumming workshop with Punjabi Roots.

The parade will begin at 11am from the war memorial and will finish in the Valley Gardens.

Several roads will be closed between 10am to 1pm during the carnival, including Cambridge Road, Royal Parade and West Park.

More details on road closures can be found on North Yorkshire Council’s website.

A full programme of acts can be found here.

Read more:

• Harrogate Carnival to be held on July 30
• Fun for all ages as Birstwith Show returns this weekend

Visitors to the Harrogate district are staying longer and spending more than they were pre-pandemic, according to new statistics.

However, the number of visitors over the same 2019 to 2022 timeframe fell by 650,000 from 6.47 million to 5.82 million.

Destination Harrogate, the Harrogate Borough Council tourism organisation, said today visitors contributed £637 million to the local economy last year, compared with £606 million three years previously.

The organisation also said the average length of stay increased from 2019 to 3.5 days, compared with 3.3 days three years previously. This is despite the fact the UCI Road World Championships took place in Harrogate in 2019, leading to high hotel occupancy rates in September that year.

John McGivern, destination events manager at Destination Harrogate said it was “fantastic news for our local businesses and residents”, adding:

“The fact that people are staying longer and spending more aligns directly with our objectives of a sustainable tourism model, attracting more revenue into the local economy, whilst minimising the impact on the environment.

“Together with our partners, with whom we share this achievement, we can celebrate the significant impact that our visitors are making on our local economy and can we look forward to further successes going forward.”

The figures are based on a tourism economic impact modelling process called STEAM that uses local supply-side data and visitor survey data. More information on the Harrogate district data is here.

Destination Harrogate aims to grow the visitor economy to £836.7 million by 2030, however its future is unclear after Harrogate Borough Council is abolished to make way for the new North Yorkshire Council in two weeks’ time.

Rudding Park Spa. Pic: Charlotte Gale

Cllr Stanley Lumley, cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport at Harrogate Borough Council, applauded Destination Harrogate for “boosting the economic impact of visits to the area”. He added:

“Harrogate’s visitor economy is the largest driver of the local economy second only to the property sector, and its value cannot be underestimated.

“With such a positive set of results we can look forward to a prosperous future for Harrogate as a major tourism destination within North Yorkshire.”

Since its launch a year ago, Destination Harrogate has delivered activities including a health and wellbeing campaign under the Visit Harrogate brand to attract higher spending visitors to stay longer for healthy breaks, Harrogate Christmas Fayre; events on the Stray marking the Queen’s platinum jubilee and the return of Harrogate Carnival.

Read more:

• Law firm to represent about 100 staff at failed Harrogate firm
• Bid begins to create new North Yorkshire tourism body

Several restaurants and bars will be offering cut-price deals next month as part of the Harrogate district’s first Restaurant Week.

The offers include three courses for £20 at Harrogate’s West Park Hotel and lunch and a drink for £10 at The Inn at Cheltenham Parade in Harrogate. Other venues taking part include Manahatta and Cosy Club in Harrogate and The Inn South Stainley, which is offering two cocktails for £10.

Restaurant Week, organised by tourism organisation Destination Harrogate, will take place from February 6 to 10.

Manahatta is among those taking part. Photo credit: Think Harrogate

Businesses that sign up will offer set-price menus to customers who quote the offer. It is hoped the initiative will enable them to attract new customers and get a publicity boost.

John McGivern, destination events manager for Destination Harrogate, which is part of Harrogate Borough Council, urged people to “book in and tuck in”, adding:

“Excellent food and drink is a firm offer within the Harrogate district’s visitor experience, and through focusing on our tourism strengths, we’re showcasing our best stories to attract more visitors and to set us apart from our competitors.

“The initiative also supports our commitment to sustainable tourism, encouraging visits during times of the year when, traditionally, visitor numbers have been lower. Spreading visitor footfall across the year lowers impact to the environment, and offers new opportunities to our local businesses, along with great deals for our visitors and residents alike.”

A list of restaurants taking part is available here.

Read more:

• New Mediterranean restaurant opens in Harrogate
• Plan to convert part of Harrogate’s Old Swan hotel into 17 flats

Harrogate Borough Council agreed exit packages worth £222,000 last year with the bulk of the payouts given to former marketing staff in its culture and tourism departments.

In the summer of 2021, the council agreed to create a new destination management organisation for the district called Destination Harrogate after a review found the authority had a “fragmented” approach to tourism and marketing.

Destination Harrogate was set up to raise the profile of the Harrogate district and help attract tourists and investment but the restructure meant its marketing teams from Visit Harrogate and Harrogate Convention Centre were merged into the one organisation, resulting in job losses.

The council’s draft statement of accounts, which lists income and expenditure during 2021/22, includes details of 14 exit packages with the majority of payments linked to the restructure.

It says 12 payments worth up to £20,000 were agreed as well as one payment worth between £20,001 and £40,000 and another worth between £80,001 and £100,000.

The number of exit packages last year was unusually high for the authority. In 2020/21 it only agreed one worth £15,000.

Read more:

• Harrogate College backs PM’s call for compulsory maths until 18
• Man jailed for two-month fraud spree at Harrogate and York hotels

In 2022, Destination Harrogate unveiled a three-year plan to position the Harrogate district as a “first choice destination for tourism, large-scale events and investment”.

Alongside its partner Market Place Europe Ltd, it recently organised Christmas festivities in Harrogate, which included a Ferris wheel, ice rink and Christmas market.

A council spokesperson said:

“In summer 2021, Harrogate Borough Council agreed a restructure of the culture, tourism (including Visit Harrogate) and Harrogate Convention Centre marketing teams in order to establish a new destination management organisation for the Harrogate district.

“The destination management organisation’s purpose was to raise the profile of the Harrogate district as an exceptional place to visit, meet and invest.

“The destination management organisation required a staffing structure that was fit for purpose and suitably flexible to respond to changing customer expectations/market developments and seasonal demand. The restructure supported this and enabled the right mix of skills and experience to be in place to deliver the DMO’s vision and strategy.”

The North Pole post office in Harrogate has reopened in time for children to post letters to Father Christmas.

The festive attraction is once again located at Harrogate International Festivals’ office, on Cheltenham Parade, and will remain open until Christmas Eve.

Funded by Harrogate Business Improvement District and produced by Harrogate International Festivals, the post office features snow flurries, Christmas music as well as the post box.

The Christmas attraction began in 2020 as a way of lifting spirits during the second covid lockdown and has returned both years since.

The post office is so busy the elves who sort through the letters are not able to reply individually, however, visitors can download a letter and message from Father Christmas, via the HIF website, or by scanning the QR code located next to the post box.

The post office is one of the key features in this year’s Destination Christmas campaign, which is a joint initiative between Harrogate Borough Council, Visit Harrogate, Harrogate BID and Harrogate International Festivals.

It also includes an ice-skating rink, fairground attractions, the candy cane express, Harrogate Christmas Fayre and the Father Christmas Experience.

Read more:

• Guide to Christmas markets in the Harrogate district
• Solicitor struck off for failing to protect vulnerable Harrogate homeowner

Clemence Roux, from Harrogate International Festivals, said:

“We are delighted to bring this attraction back again, and will make sure once again that Father Christmas gets all the children’s letters.

“Harrogate BID has been extremely kind in sponsoring the scheme for another year, they have helped us make Harrogate a little more festive.”

Harrogate BID chair Sara Ferguson said:

“The Christmas attraction lifts spirits and contributes to the efforts of so many who are working together to make Harrogate ‘Destination Christmas’.”

Pictured from left are: Clemence Roux, from Harrogate International Festivals, Harrogate BID Manager Matthew Chapman, Harrogate borough mayor Cllr Victoria Oldham, and Harrogate International Festivals chief executive Sharon Canavar at the opening of the post office.

Half-term is almost upon us and the February break can often be one of the trickier holidays to navigate when it comes to keeping the kids entertained.

The weather isn’t always the kindest and it is still too early to bribe them with Easter eggs – even if they did arrive in shops on Boxing Day.

Fortunately there are lots of activities being planned in the Harrogate district, so parents can escape relatively unscathed.

We have put together a list of activities to do with the kids this half-term.

Harrogate Indoor Funfair – February 21-27

Always a popular one with families in the area, the indoor funfair is back at the Yorkshire Event Centre at Harrogate’s Great Yorkshire Showground.

With rides and inflatables for all ages, the event offers all the fun of the fair under one roof – perfect if you need to escape the unpredictable February weather.

Read more:

• Robot polar bear and 18m whale set to tour Harrogate district
• Dads create ‘Dingle Dangle’ toy to make nappy changing a breeze
• What’s On: A guide to events taking place across the Harrogate district 

Morning sessions run from 10am until 1pm and afternoon sessions from 2pm until 5pm. For the first time, there will also be two 6pm-9pm sessions on the Friday and Saturday evenings.

Tickets on the door will be limited. Book online to avoid disappointment.

Online tickets are £10.99 for unlimited rides per session and can be purchased here.

Fountains Abbey, Ripon – February 19 – February 27

For those little explorers who love being outdoors, a number of activities are taking place at Fountains Abbey.

Children can pull on their wellies and spend a full day exploring, running and playing.

Families will be able to plant their own snowdrop to take home from 11am-1pm on February 19, 21, and 23 and the weekend of 26 and 27.

They can also grab a ‘spring-go’ activity sheet to take with them on their adventures, spotting signs of spring – as they go!

For a full list of half-term events click here.

Birchfield Farm, Summerbridge

This year the popular attraction, set in the stunning Nidderdale countryside, is opening earlier than usual.

Visit the farm this spring and say hello to all the expectant ewes in the barns ready to give birth. If you are lucky, you may even see a lamb being born.

The farmers will be on hand to answer any questions and tell you more about the animals.

For little animal lovers, as well as sheep, there are also piglets, goats, ponies, guinea pigs and donkeys.

After working up an appetite, enjoy a homemade ice cream at the farm’s café – it’s never too cold!

No booking is required and the farm is open from 10am-4pm

Admission is £5 for adults and children – under twos are free.

Stockeld Park, near Wetherby – February 19-27

The ever-popular family attraction is holding a ‘Talking Animals Week’ over half-term.

Our Planet Your World, across the Harrogate district – February 21-February 26

Two life-size kangaroo impersonators will arrive in Harrogate.

A robotic polar bear and an 18-metre whale are among the attractions travelling round the district as part of an environment-themed week of free events.

Visit Harrogate, Harrogate Borough Council’s tourism body, has organised the week of events named ‘Our Planet, Your World’, to offer activities for families with an over-arching message of protecting the environment.

The events are as follows:

Monday, February 21

Boroughbridge Library, storytelling sessions

10am-1pm

Tuesday, February 22

Masham Town Hall, sea-theme crafting activity

11am-4pm

Wednesday, February 23

Ripon Market Square, animatronic polar bear, interactive art sculpture, face painting, craft activities for children and live music.

11am-4pm

Thursday, February 24

Harrogate’s Valley Gardens

11am-4pm

Friday, February 25

Pateley Bridge play area, environmentally-themed crafting activity for children

11am-4pm

Saturday, February 26

Knaresborough Castle Grounds, Boat About, crafting activity for children, face painting

11am-4pm

Organisers have said some activities are weather dependent so are asking visitors to follow the Visit Harrogate social media channels.