New Years Day Family Specials at Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam RailwayHave a family day out with the Happy Tank Engines. Children will travel for free when accompanied by a fare-paying adult. A two train steam-hauled service will be in operation during the day between 10am and 4pm with departures from Embsay and Bolton Abbey. Call the Talking Timetable on 01756 795189.
From mass battles to have-a-go kids' sword combat, from ancient tales to ancient crafts, the 25th JORVIK Viking Centre Annual Viking Festival offers a bumper programme of events in celebration of its 25th anniversary.
Join in the action as hundreds of Vikings from all over the world descend on the city for the nine day programme which will include Vikings fighting in ferocious battle; a spectacular celebratory fireworks display; a newly commissioned theatre piece from one of the north's most admired theatre groups and an atmospheric candlelit evening of poetry and music performed for the Viking King. The Festival also includes an anniversary conference with international Viking experts in celebration of the original astounding archaeological discovery of the Viking city in York 25 years ago.
With such a selection of specially organised arts, music, drama and action events taking place, there will be something for everyone in the city-wide celebration of the Viking Age in York.
This famous Festival of Food, Drink and Rhubarb is Wakefield's culinary contribution to Yorkshire's growing reputation for producing the best locally grown and produced food, drink and, of course, rhubarb.
Enjoy two days of mouth watering local produce as well as a wonderful programme of delicious treats.
Visitors can also discover more about the Yorkshire Rhubarb Triangle by visiting the local rhubarb sheds and getting involved in a variety of cultural events associated with the festival.
HotHouse Festival in Doncaster is one of South Yorkshire's most exciting and popular arts programmes. Since its inception, over 30,000 people have enjoyed a rich mix of events and performances.
Huddersfield Literature Festival showcases established and emerging writers, side by side. The festival is passionate about the reading experience, offering new events for adults, children and, readers' groups. Fans of the written word will be able to discover new work and enjoy a wide range of creative workshops.
A 10 day festival 'bringing science to life' in and around the UK's founding National Science City, and one which literally sees the many wonders of science popping up in all sorts of unexpected places across the City. Valued contributors to National Science and Engineering Week (NSEW), Science City York and partners will be holding a whole host of special events and activities spanning a variety of talks, exhibitions and hands-on activities for this ever-popular festival, now in its 13th year. Events in 2010 will centre around the NSEW 2010 theme 'The Earth'.
Bradford International Film Festival 18 - 28 MarchThe 16th Bradford International Film Festival will take place at the National Media Museum and will span 11 days packed full of favourite strands including Widescreen Weekend, plus premieres and previews.
The festival will feature as many screenings as in previous years and has plans to expand into other venues across the wider city and region. The festival organisers will be inviting plenty of special guests, so film fans can hear the stories behind their favourite stars and movies through talks and screenings.
2010 will be particularly exciting following the announcement that Bradford has achieved status as the world's very first UNESCO City of Film.
The Secret of Sherlock Holmes is a journey into the mind of Sherlock Holmes and his relationships with his greatest friend, Dr Watson, and his deadly enemy, Professor Moriarty.
Following Holmes most infamous encounter with his nemesis Moriarty at Reichenbach Falls, Watson's loyalty and friendship are tested to the very limit and Holmes comes to understand his own complicated nature and deep need for friendship.
Reprising their acclaimed roles from the The Hound of The Baskervilles are Peter Egan as Sherlock Holmes (Ever Decreasing Circles, Noises Off) and Philip Franks (Heartbeat, Journey's End) as his loyal assistant Dr Watson. Directed by Robin Herford, renowned for his expert creation of The Woman in Black, and director of The Hound of the Baskervilles
Times: 7.30 pm with a 2pm Thu/ 2.30pm Sat Matinee
Tickets: £10 - £20, Students & u25s £5
Audio Described Performances: Sat 27 Mar, 2.30pm & 7.30pm
Captioned performance: Sat 27 Mar, 2.30pm
Join Scarborough and Ryedale Astronomical Society for a tour of the night sky.
Four days of spring fun for all the family at Harewood. Plus demonstrations in the House and traditional Easter cake baking on Easter Sunday. Included in normal admission price.
2 - 5 April
Yorkshire's friendly line welcomes back its favourite visitor to host 'Day out with Thomas' Bank Holiday weekend events. Thomas with Sir Topham Hatt, the Fat Controller, will be hosting the event that always proves so popular. Thomas and his fellow saddle tank engine Percy are looking forward to their visit to the railway, which runs between the new award winning Bolton Abbey station and Embsay station.
Pop along to Burton Agnes Hall over the Easter weekend and enjoy searching the grounds and woodland walk for chocolate Easter eggs. Fun for all the family!
Adults: £4.00
Child £2.50
Senior: £3.50
Feed the lambs - feeding time every half-hour. Displays and information; craft activities. Easter Trail - follow a trail of clues and questions around Malham Cove, starting at Town Head Barn. Suitable for all ages. £1.50 per Easter trail.
Join David Wellock on his farm for a short walk to meet new born lambs, prize winning Aberdeen Angus and Rhea. The walk starts promptly at 2pm - this is not an Open Farm visit. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Adult: £3, Concessions: £3, Child: £3
The World Snooker Championship is held annually at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield over a period of 17 days. The event has been hosted by the Crucible in Sheffield since 1976 and is closely associated with the venue and the city. Attracting worldwide attention, visitors flock from across the UK and abroad to watch favourite sporting heroes battling it out for the championship.
In an exciting coup for Dalby Forest, the 2010 Mountain Bike World Cup comes to Yorkshire! This dynamic competition will include six rounds for each of the three disciplines (cross country, downhill and four-cross) and in total will take place at nine venues in eight countries.
The 2010 series will kick-off at Dalby Forest in North Yorkshire, with a cross country round. This is guaranteed to be a great event for everyone to enjoy.
Upwards of 12,000 visitors attend this bumper festival of food and drink. The Festival is a great example of the fantastic quality and variety of food and drink produced in Yorkshire. Set within a picturesque location, visitors to Wensleydale are in for a treat. Yorkshire hospitality is second to none and what better place to enjoy it? This is an excellent opportunity for people to discover where and how their food is produced and how its production has shaped the beautiful Dales landscape.
Every springtime the village of Haworth, in the heart of West Yorkshire's Bronte Country hosts a very special 1940s weekend. Locals and visitors alike get dressed up in 1940s outfits to enjoy a wide range of nostalgic events - which usually include an RAF vintage plane flypast, a morale boosting visit from "Sir Winston Churchill" and even the "Queen Mother" - as well as authentic swing jive dancing being performed both in the streets during the day and at specially arranged dances which are held at local dance halls and pubs in the evenings.
The Swaledale Festival is a fantastic chance to hear fantastic live music in this beautiful corner of the world. The Festival has a longstanding reputation for programming a distinctive balance of musical styles - you can hear classical, choral, jazz, folk and world music in intimate Dales venues.
York was one of the most important Roman cities in Britain and for a period at the end of the 3rd Century was the capital of the Roman Empire.
It was in York that the famous VIIII Legion disappeared, where Emperors Septimius Severus and Constantius Chlorus died and where Constantine The Great was proclaimed Emperor.
The York Roman Festival brings York's history to life with Military re-enactors in and marching around the city, children's activities, a living history camp, gladiators and chariot races, music, dance and crafts.
Set in the historic market town of Beverley, nestled in the stunning East Riding of Yorkshire, the Festival is three nights and two days of breathtaking music, dance, comedy, spoken word and events for all ages.
Visitors can experience craft stalls, workshops, real ale bars, family events and camping at The Festival Village in the shadow of the historic Beverley Minster.
Now entering its 28th year, the festival has something for everyone. Whether you plan to camp for the whole weekend or book individual events you are sure to have a great time.
Cliffhanger is one of the UK's largest outdoor outdoor-pursuits festivals, based in one of Sheffield's biggest green spaces.
The aim of the event is to inspire & involve. Featuring competitions or demonstrations in rock climbing, orienteering, kayaking, mountain biking, running, skiing & snowboarding, skateboarding, free running, adventure racing and more. Visitors will be able to watch elite sports-people of all ages competing or demonstrating, and then take part in the sports they have just been inspired by.
There will also be scuba diving, angling, kite flying, assault courses, caving, a massive bargain area, music, plenty of children's rides and other activities, food stalls, a market, and much, much more...
Britain's largest festival of early music takes the theme of marriage as its inspiration in 2010, looking at music written for marriages of state, love, and of convenience, from the medieval through to the Baroque. Guest artists to include the Early Opera Company, I Fagiolini, Fretwork, Ensemble Lucidarium and The Sixteen directed by Harry Christophers.
Associated highlights include York Mystery Plays presented on wagons in the streets of the City.
The York Mystery Plays were originally performed from dawn to dusk by various troops in decorated wagons called pageants on and around the site that is now York railway station. The Mystery Plays were revived in 1951and are now watched by visitors from around the world who come to enjoy this historic city and all it has to offer.
The Great Yorkshire Show is the north's leading agricultural event and takes place on the edge of the spa town of Harrogate.
2010 will be the 152nd Great Yorkshire Show and will be a celebration of agriculture and country life. The Main Ring is the hub of the show - providing a wonderful setting for international show jumping and the world-class cattle parade.
The 250-acre site is filled with animals, country demonstrations, have-a-go activities and the Great Yorkshire Cheese & Dairy Show. Plus there's fashion, rural crafts and shopping.
Having embarked on their round the world journey the fleet of Clipper yachts return to Hull to face the finishing line. Enjoy this amazing site and experience the excitement on what is certain to be a spectacular day for the whole family.
The Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, Harrogate is a not to be missed event. Let's examine the evidence: Ian Rankin, Karin Slaughter, Christopher Brookmyre: some of the best and biggest names in the business. Hang on for your life as many of the biggest authors in crime fiction gather for Europe's most gripping crime writing festival.
Unlike other literary festivals, the Festival Programming Committee is made up of authors, agents and publishers. And presiding over this year's murderous mayhem will be bearded Aberdonian and esteemed crime writer, Stuart MacBride.
This will be an event packed with passion, pace and pump-action prose, propelling you through an unforgettable weekend. It will be murder all round! Fasten your seatbelts and get ready for a bumpy ride: 2010's Festival is set to kick up some delicious and evil twists and turns.
Since the Harrogate International Festival is one of the region's leading cultural events, working year round to bring the finest in performing arts, literature and community participation to Harrogate and Yorkshire.
For over 40 years music of all kinds has remained at the heart of the activities each spring and summer, with the International Festival and the Sunday Series of chamber music. The annual event also features Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival and the Green Space Festival of outdoor street arts.
Festival goers will discover street theatre, crime fiction and music alongside wide-reaching family activities.
Celebrate all things Yorkshire on this prestigious date of the annual calendar. 96% of visitors to Yorkshire say they would like to return which is yet another reason to applaud this amazing destination.
The Ebor Festival is the jewel in York's crown. The blend of the very best horses with a sense of tradition and style make it the centrepiece of many a sporting and social calendar. The Totesport Ebor handicap, one of the most famous races of the Festival was first run in 1843 and is now the feature race. This combined with the richest race, The Juddmonte International and the famous race for sprinters, The VC Bet Nunthorpe Stakes, traditionally Ladies Day, makes for a thrilling three days of racing.
The Whitby Regatta is said to be the oldest sea Regatta in England and has drawn large crowds into Whitby over many years. The Regatta is held over three full days with yacht racing, rowing races and various free forms of entertainment, finishing with a prize presentation and spectacular firework display.
Each year people gather to enjoy the August Bank Holiday at Bramham Park. With day and weekend camping passes available the festival is popular with international as well as UK visitors. Tickets sell out early so to enjoy fantastic live music within one of the UK's finest settings you have to be early!
The Leeds West Indian Carnival is the longest running West Indian carnival in Europe, having been going since 1967. It is a three day event, climaxing in a carnival procession on Bank Holiday Monday.
Doncaster is the only Northern racecourse to stage a Classic. Every September the St Leger is celebrated with four days of festivities and the stunning new facilities at the racecourse create an even greater sense of style and spectacle at this historic occasion.
The St Leger was first run in 1776, making it the oldest Classic in the world. The St Leger Festival is acclaimed as a premier sporting occasion in the Autumn calendar, an exciting spectacle which is also an important social event - a place to see and be seen.
For many the two Harrogate Shows in April and September mark the beginning and end of the UK's Horticultural Show season. Around 90 of the country's leading horticultural nurseries will be in there, once again competing for medal award cards and silver trophies and selling from their plant markets. All are specialists in their field and are happy to share their knowledge with visitors. Over 70% of the show is undercover making it a fantastic day out - whatever the weather.
The annual York Food and Drink Festival is the largest event of its kind in the UK, and a massive showcase for Yorkshire growers and retailers. For ten days food simply takes over as the city hosts an extravaganza of specialist markets, chef demonstrations, themed dinners, tutored Slow Food tastings, cookery classes, restaurant meal deals and any number of special events. With fun, education and Yorkshire produce as key ingredients, you'll love learning more about Yorkshire food here. Don't miss out on your opportunity to be part of this growing Festival.
Previously included in The Guardian's top five of all UK jazz festivals, Scarborough attracts people from across the UK and abroad who come to enjoy quality line ups within a coastal setting. Previous line ups include American jazz stars; Kyle Eastwood, Steve Grossman, Ken Peplowski and Mike Janisch and the cream of UK jazz including Andy Panayi and Alan Barnes.
The North of England's oldest and largest literature festival. Previous speakers included Kate Adie, Cherie Blair, Will Self, Rick Wakeman, and Barry Cryer. The Festival even has its own Fringe which has featured the new craze for swimhiking. Ilkley's location as one of the gateways to the Yorkshire Dales also makes it the perfect base for outdoor sports. Take a walk on Ilkley Moor or rock climb on the Cow and Calf Rocks, which date from prehistoric times.
Off the Shelf is Sheffield's annual celebration of writing and reading. Each year sees visitors and residents enjoying an exciting programme of events including readings, workshops, walks, talks, exhibitions and competitions, poetry, a series of events for children and young people and more.
York based PSI (Paranormal & Spectral Investigations) will be celebrating the city's haunted heritage in all its glory (or should that be gory!?) with a packed agenda of ghostly goings-on including the opportunity to take part in a real paranormal overnight investigation.
Fright Night is Britain's biggest Halloween party, and has become a Sheffield institution attracting over 30,000 people into the city centre each year.
Always staged on the Sunday before Halloween, attractions include street theatre, ghost tours, live music, food stalls, children's activities and thousands of people in amazing fancy dress costumes.
Experience York after dark and see cutting edge light-based artwork at outdoor sites across the city. The event is a showcase for York as a contemporary, creative city but Illuminating York is also an ongoing project, which aims to use light and innovation to breathe new life into York's historic but urban environment after dark, attracting visitors from far and wide.
Leeds International Film Festival features innovative features and shorts. With a reputation as one of the most fresh and exciting festivals in the UK, films shown reflect the cutting edge nature of Leeds and a desire to showcase the best and newest filmmaking from around the globe.
The National Media Museum is proud to present the sixteenth edition of the UK's longest-running and biggest animation festival. This year will see the customary array of screen talks, workshops and special events led by some of the industry's top names. The Festival culminates in the annual BAF Awards which celebrate the very best in new animation from around the world.
The best way to see the city's top metal working artists is to visit Sheffield during Galvanize, an annual festival from mid November to mid December. During this contemporary festival, galleries and venues exhibit the latest designs of the silversmiths and artists. Many hold open studios or give lectures and demonstrations of their craft. The festival programme features special exhibitions, tours and events and opportunities to see and buy contemporary work, meet the designers and learn about the processes involved.
Leeds' Millennium Square becomes a winter wonderland for the Christkindelmarkt. The centrepiece of this German Christmas market is a glittering carousel for the children, while adults can indulge in feuerzangenbowle (warming punch), waffles and present-buying.
The run-up to Christmas finds York in truly festive spirit with the St Nicholas Fayre. This is when the city becomes a sparkling, enticing concoction of decorations, lights, Christmas trees and old-fashioned Victorian street stalls, all helping to create the kind of cheerful, authentic Christmas atmosphere you thought had gone forever. St Nicholas Fayre is one of the most popular Christmas markets in the UK, with thousands of visitors coming to York over the four-day event. The Fayre offers a range of markets specialising in gifts, crafts, and the very best in local farm produce. The city comes alive with bustling stalls, carol singers, and buskers, just at the right time to get you in the spirit of Christmas.
Organised by the National Centre for Early Music, York's Early Music Christmas Festival takes place in a wide variety of uniquely attractive venues including the Chapter House of York Minster, the stunningly simple beauty of St Mary's Church, Bishophill and the National Centre for Early Music, Walmgate.
The village of Grassington transforms itself back into the times of Dickens, with street theatre, buskers, bands, choirs, singers, barrel organs, Punch & Judy, street stalls, indoor market, Santa's grotto and torchlight nativity procession, followed by community carol singing to end off the day with evening entertainment in the village hall courtesy of Grassington Players and Grassington Singers.
