What's on in Yorkshire

From plays to music, from art to dance to festivals - there's plenty to keep you entertained in this county of ours, and here are some of the most exciting events happening soon. To have your upcoming event featured on these pages, please email details to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

July 22nd – August 28th: Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal
Enjoy a summer of entertainment with the National Trust at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal. The World Heritage Site near Ripon has a programme of special events lined up for the summer. Join the first Fountains Abbey Summer Party on July 22nd. The evening starts with Pimm’s and canapés in the walled garden of Elizabethan Fountains Hall and continues with a two-course barbeque and ceilidh in restaurant. There will be open-air theatre performances of ‘Pinocchio’ on July 27th and ‘Sense and Sensibility’ on August 13th. On August 28th, step back in time and experience an afternoon as the pleasure-seeking Georgians would have on a visit to Studley Royal Water Garden. Take part in Regency dancing, indulge in cream teas, and see costumed presentations on ‘The Portrait of a Lady’.

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, near Ripon
01765 608888, www.fountainsabbey.org.uk

July 29th – September 3rd: J. M. Barrie’s ‘Peter Pan’
Join Wendy, John and Michael Darling as they recount their action-packed adventures in Neverland. Stories of Lost Boys, Indians, mermaids and pirates unfold in a magical land, free from grown-up rules. The story of a boy who refuses to grow up is adapted by Mike Kenny (who also adapted ‘The Railway Children’ and ‘The Wind in the Willows’). The production is part of York Theatre Royal’s ‘In the Round Ensemble Season’. As well as starring theatre regulars Martin Barrass, Rob Pickavance, Cornelius McCarthy and Andrina Carroll, more than 50 young people from York will take to the main stage, including three local children who will play the parts of Wendy, John and Michael.

York Theatre Royal
01904 623568, www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk


August 6th – 13th: Shakespeare Summerfest 2011
Earlier this year, the Royal Shakespeare Company launched an initiative to forge closer links between the professional and amateur theatre and to encourage local companies throughout the country to stage one of the bard’s productions. Groups were invited to bid for acceptance into the scheme. The bid made by the Hope Theatre Group was successful and the West Yorkshire company will stage productions of ‘Twelfth Night’ and ‘King Lear’ at the Hardwick Hall at Yeadon Methodist Church. ‘Twelfth Night’ will be performed on the 6th, 11th and 12th, and ‘King Lear’ will be on the 10th and 13th. Completing the Summerfest, at St Oswald’s Church, Guiseley, on August 7th, will be ‘Summer’s Lease: The Story of Shakespeare in Love’, a selection of the bard’s sonnets with songs by Schubert, Schumann and Brahms.

For tickets or further information call Elizabeth Hoyle on 01943 872 549, or visit www.hopetheatregroup.webs.com

August 26th – December 31st: Revolutionary Fashion 1790 – 1820
This exhibition explores the revolutionary changes in fashion developed at the end of the 18th century, and the influence of the French Revolution, Industrial Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. Following on from the ‘Dress to Impress’ exhibition in 2010, this follow up will continue the story of the development of fashion through to the end of the Georgian period. Drawing upon key collections from around the country, Fairfax House will be bringing to light a swathe of exquisite pieces of costume, including shoes, fans, headwear and accessories, from the vibrant Regency period.

Fairfax House, York
01904 655 543, www.fairfaxhouse.co.uk

September 3rd – 4th: British Wool Weekend
The British Wool Weekend 2011 will be a showcase to promote all aspects of wool production in the UK. From sheep farmers with large flocks to small holdings with just a few rare breeds, this event will highlight a vast range of talented craftspeople and textile artists who use British wool in their work. If you are a craft worker who uses British wool to spin, weave, knit, crochet, cross stitch, embroider, hand dye, make felt or any other textile process, or if you are involved in the making of lanolin soap, ewe’s milk, cheese or ice cream the organisers would like to hear from you.

Yorkshire Event Centre, The Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate
For details call 07790 391 142, visit www.britishwool.net or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

September 9th – 17th: ‘Hamlet’
Northern Ballet’s acclaimed adaptation of Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’, created by artistic director David Nixon and co-directed by associate artist Patricia Doyle, returns to West Yorkshire this autumn. Set in the early 1940s in Nazi-occupied Paris, where ‘Hamlet’s’ mind unravels against the backdrop of one of the most terrifying periods in modern history. The ballet is performed to a specially commissioned score from British composer Philip Feeney and follows a young man who arrives back from the front to find his home and world is not the one he left behind. His father is dead, his mother has married his uncle and the enemy occupies his city. As his world descends into chaos, the boundaries between truth and deception, sanity and insanity become distorted.

West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds
0113 213 7700, www.wyp.org.uk

September 16th – 18th: Harrogate Autumn Flower Show
The theme for this autumn’s Harrogate Flower Show is big – literally – with a series of new classes for giant vegetables. From mammoth marrows to tremendous tomatoes, this year’s centenary event will showcase the very best in fruit, vegetables and flowers as the country’s top horticulturalists come together to celebrate the harvest season. Spectacular floral displays in the Specialist Societies marquee combine a wonderful array of colours and aromas to create a memorable experience. In addition to the new vegetable classes, the extended fruit show will also offer the chance to see collections from stately homes around the region. All this, together with more than 60 craft and gift stands, ideal for early Christmas shopping, make sure the show has something for everyone.

Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate
01423 546 157, www.flowershow.org.uk

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Other events

Until September 4th: Halifax Art Society’s annual exhibition
Halifax Art Society’s annual exhibition and sale of original paintings will be held in the gallery at Piece Hall, an historic Cloth Hall built in 1770.

Piece Hall, Halifax
01422 882 077, www.halifaxartsociety.com

Until September 18th: Howard Hodgkin Prints
Scarborough Art Gallery will play host to the work of one of Britain’s most internationally celebrated artists this summer. The exhibition consists of 43 prints, which range in size and encompass works from Hodgkin’s entire career.

Scarborough Art Gallery
01723 353 665, www.scarboroughartgallery.co.uk

July 29th – August 20th: ‘The Rise and Fall of Little Voice’
A new production of Jim Cartwright’s ‘The Rise and Fall of Little Voice’, best known from the 1998 film ‘Little Voice’ starring Jane Horrocks, will feature former ‘Emmerdale’ actress Lisa Riley and Philip Hill-Pearson, last seen in the BBC drama ‘United’.

Hull Truck Theatre
01482 323 638, www.hulltruck.co.uk

August 13th – 21st: Kettlewell Scarecrow festival
In the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, a village is taken over by more than 100 life-size scarecrows in this celebration of traditional country skills. Trail map and parking cost £1 with proceeds going to the church, village hall and school.

Kettlewell, near Skipton
For more information call 01756 761 307, or visit www.kettlewellscarecrowfestival.co.uk

August 23rd – 25th: Wakefield Live Music Project’s ‘Hot Spot’ series
At the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, find jazz with the AJ Nash Quartet (23rd), classical guitarist Ed Billingham (24th) and solo tuba from Ola Ness of the Goldmann Ensemble (25th), all with free admission.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield
01924 240 261, www.wlmp.co.uk

August 27th – 29th: Epworth Show
Taking place on the Epworth Showfield, the beer festival, agricultural show and charity night is a celebration of country heritage, traditions and values.

Epworth Showfield
For more information call 07734 806 887 / 07977 184 213, or visit www.epworthshow.org

August 27th – September 4th: 2011 annual photography exhibition
The Hebden Bridge Camera Club, founded in 1952, will hold its 2011 annual exhibition of photography at The Arts Festival Shop on Albert Street from 11am till 4.30pm daily.

The Arts Festival Shop, Hebden Bridge
For information call 01422 842 684, or visit www.hebdenbridgecc.co.uk

August 27th: York Musik Fest
The event aims to raise as much money as possible for Comic Relief, with a non-stop variety of acts, from rock and pop bands to singers, comedians, magicians and more, as well as food and drink throughout the day.

The Bumper Castle, Clifton Moor, York
01904 638 930, www.yorkmusikfest.eventbrite.com

August 27th – 29th: ‘Alice in Wonderland’
Hull Truck Theatre performs an open-air adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s classic tale set against the backdrop of Hymers College.

Hull Truck Theatre
01482 323 638, www.hulltruck.co.uk

August 29th: Bolton Abbey summer fête
Described by the Daily Telegraph as ‘among the best fêtes in the country’, featuring stalls, sideshows, displays, races, the Otley Brass Band and more.

Bolton Abbey, near Skipton
0 1756 718 000, www.boltonabbey.com

August 30th: Kilnsey Show
The Dales’ foremost agricultural show with dry-stone walling, local produce, handicrafts, horticulture, equestrian events, fell races and harness racing.

Kilnsey Showground, Upper Wharfedale
01756 753 259, www.yorkshirenet.co.uk

September 5th – 10th: ‘A View From The Bridge’
Arthur Miller’s play tells the story of immigrant workers living and working in Brooklyn. Eddie Carbone is an ordinary man. Yet within a few minutes of entering into his very ordinary world, you realise that what you see and hear masks an emotional land mine.

Keighley Playhouse
08451 267 859, www.keighleyplayhouse.co.uk

September 8th: Wine-tasting dinner
The Grange Hotel in Bootham is holding a wine-tasting dinner with wines presented by Peter Fawcett of Field & Fawcett Wine Merchants & Delicatessen.

The Grange Hotel, Clifton, York
01904 644 744, www.grangehotel.co.uk

September 9th – October 1st: ‘The Go-Between’
L.P. Hartley’s romantic novel ‘The Go-Between’ is a poignant story of childhood innocence, hidden memories and self-realisation. A new British musical adaptation of this classic text will make its world premiere in West Yorkshire.

West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds
0113 213 7700, www.wyp.org.uk

September 9th – October 23rd: Revelation: An exhibition by Judith Gilbert
A series of paintings that interpret the rich storytelling of the ‘Old Testament’ and the ‘Book of Revelation’.

Bradford Cathedral
01274 777 720, www.bradfordcathedral.org

September 11th: Autumn plant fair
Following on from the success of the spring fair, Sutton Park will be holding an autumn plant fair in the gardens, organised by Flower Power Fairs.

Sutton Park, York
01565 777 396, www.flowerpowerfairs.co.uk

September 16th – 18th: Darlington dog show
For the sixth year Newby Hall will host this three-day championship dog show, with more than 10,000 dogs of every conceivable breed.

Newby Hall, Ripon
01423 322 583, www.newbyhall.com

September 17th: Snaith and Cowick Heritage Day
The theme for the 2011 heritage day is ‘Musical Entertainment Through The Ages’. Programmes and refreshments will be available in Snaith Priory Church.

Snaith and Cowick, near Goole
01405 862 319, www.snaithandcowicktogether.co.uk

September 18th: Jane McDonald
Singer and TV personality Jane McDonald returns to Sheffield City Hall with her new show.

Sheffield City Hall
01142 789 789, www.sheffieldcityhall.co.uk

September 23rd: Midnight Jazz
Ronnie Bottomley and his All Star Jazz Orchestra make a late-night appearance at Beiderbecke’s Hotel as part of the Scarborough Jazz Festival Fringe. For information about the jazz festival (23rd – 25th) visit www.scarboroughjazzfestival.co.uk.

Beiderbecke’s Hotel, Scarborough
01723 365 766, www.beiderbeckes.com

September 30th – October 4th: The Harrogate Antique Fair
Now in its 12th year, visitors to the antique fair will again be able to view a diverse array of antiques and fine art.

Harrogate International Centre
01823 323 363, www.harrogateantique.fair.com

Until October 1st: Summer exhibition
Gallery Beyond of Nunnington, near Helmsley, is showcasing some of the best of local contemporary art by featured artists, including Liz Churton, Jonathan Pomroy and Carolyn Smith.

Gallery Beyond, Nunnington, Helmsley
01904 310 205