Newsletter: Saturday 9th August 2025

Welcome to Yorkshire

Inspiration • August 9th, 2025

Yorkshire is alive with summer celebrations, new openings, and standout cultural events, from rare literary treasures to major music gigs. This week’s newsletter rounds up the latest highlights, offers, and things to do across the county.

What's been happening

The Bradford City of Culture baton visited Tong Garden Centre as part of its tour of all 30 district wards, celebrating community spirit ahead of 2025’s cultural celebrations.

Wakefield has celebrated its largest-ever graduation from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, with over 337 children completing the free monthly book programme that has gifted nearly 70,000 books locally since 2017.

Award-winning Yorkshire

Scarborough’s Keane Liley won Best Theatre and the Chris Mellor Award for New Writing at the 2025 Fringe Festival for his powerful play Feral, developed through the Stephen Joseph Theatre’s Arts in Eastfield programme.

Askham Bryan Wildlife and Conservation Park in York won a BIAZA Gold Award for hosting an international Conservation Skills Conference, training people to tackle global biodiversity challenges.

Pontefract Castle has won a 2025 Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Award, placing it among the top 10% of attractions worldwide based on consistently high visitor reviews.

Taste of Yorkshire

HelloFresh has shared inventive ways to enjoy Yorkshire puddings beyond the Sunday roast, from indulgent breakfast bakes to crunchy croutons.

East Yorkshire’s Soanes Poultry has scooped three Great Taste Awards in 2025 for its higher welfare, grain-fed chicken.

York’s Cooper King Distillery, featured on BBC’s Countryfile, is crafting award-winning whisky and gin with traditional methods and pioneering sustainability.

Visiting

The Betfred St Leger Festival runs 11–14 September at Doncaster Racecourse, featuring top-class racing, live entertainment, Ladies Day style awards, family events, and the world’s oldest Classic race.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park has welcomed two endangered African Painted Dog brothers, Blondi and T’Challa, as part of global efforts to protect the species.

English Heritage is welcoming four-legged family members at dozens of historic Yorkshire sites this summer, from castles and abbeys to gardens and Roman ruins.

A flowerpot figure of steeplejack Fred Dibnah is climbing Settle’s Watershed Mill chimney as part of the town’s annual Flowerpot Festival, running until 7 September.

Demons Wake, Europe’s biggest social deduction gaming convention, takes over York St John University from 8–10 August with sold-out games, celebrity guests, and community events.

King Pins opens at Leeds’ White Rose Centre on 15 August, offering the first 50 guests through the door a free game from its line-up of bowling, crazy pool, darts, shuffleboard, curling, and more.

Calderdale Pride returns to Halifax’s Dean Clough on 16 August 2025 with a free, family-friendly celebration themed “The Wizard of Oz.”

Wakefield Inclusive Sports Festival returns on 16 August with free activities for all ages and abilities at Thornes Park Stadium, celebrating sport, creativity, and community.

Wakefield’s Young Traders Market returns to Castleford on 16 August, showcasing talented entrepreneurs aged 16–30 with unique products alongside regular market stalls.

Bongo’s Bingo returns to Leeds’ O2 Academy on Saturday 23 August for a bank holiday party mixing classic bingo with rave rounds, dance-offs, outrageous prizes and hands-in-the-air anthems.

Sheffield Museums has announced a full programme of free exhibitions, talks, workshops, and family activities across its six venues this September.

Wold Top Brewery and Bridlington Road Runners host the Wold Top 10k, new 5k, and children’s fun run on 13 September, combining Yorkshire Wolds trail racing with post-run pints and local food.

Bestselling crime author Elly Griffiths will launch the new Cedar Court ‘Book & Brunch’ series in Harrogate on 21 September, offering guests brunch, a meet and greet, and a Q&A at Cedar Court Hotel.

Bentham Golf Course hosts its open weekend from 27–29 September with lodge tours, glamping pods, and a £20 Society Day on the Monday including golf and a bacon butty.

Autumn fun

Northern Ballet’s playful Little Red Riding Hood, perfect for young audiences, tours Yorkshire and beyond from autumn 2025 with relaxed and inclusive performances.

The Yorkshire Property Charity Lunch returns on 3 October at Leeds’ First Direct Arena with guest speaker Kevin Sinfield, plus charity football and netball matches raising funds for Candlelighters and The Yorkshire Property Charitable Trust.

The Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival runs 9–19 October with guests including Nicola Sturgeon, Jeremy Hunt, Chris Tarrant, Helen Lederer, Graham Gooch, and more still to be announced.

The Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth is showcasing a rare portrait of Emily Brontë on loan from the National Portrait Gallery until 31 October, alongside a packed autumn programme including the Brontë Women’s Writing Festival, poetry events, and online talks.

Leeds Playhouse’s autumn and Christmas 2025 season features To Kill A Mockingbird, A Christmas Carol, touring dramas Consumed and Ay Kash If Only, plus the Leeds International Festival of Ideas and Transform 25.

On the up

The New Inn in Appletreewick has reopened under new local ownership, with Alexa and Chris Ives leading a revival that blends traditional pub charm with ambitious seasonal cooking from chef Mikael Paylor.

The Three Horseshoes in Wickersley has reopened after a six-figure refurbishment, adding modern upgrades, new entertainment, and local jobs while keeping its community pub charm.

The long-derelict Crimea Tavern in Castleford is being demolished as part of a £23.9 million regeneration plan.

A £99,000 investment is bringing a brand-new, inclusive play area to Valley Gardens in Castleford this autumn, featuring modern adventure equipment, wheelchair-accessible facilities, and community-backed design.

Nearly £600,000 from Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Capital Fund will repair two Grade II listed churches in Sheffield and Goole, securing their future as community hubs.

Sheffield’s New Era Square has welcomed the relocated Steel City General Practice and new Neo Skin Clinic, expanding healthcare in the city centre alongside its thriving food, retail, and residential community.

Samata Pilates has opened a second, more inclusive Reformer Pilates studio in Batley, offering varied class levels, male-only and female-only sessions, and private Pilates parties, alongside its original Heckmondwike location.

Yorkshire villages get a major 4G boost as the Shared Rural Network upgrades masts to eliminate mobile signal “notspots” across the region.

York BID’s Support York campaign is encouraging shoppers to visit High Petergate during Bootham Bar works, with monthly £50 gift card prizes for spending locally.

A new South Yorkshire project is using bin lorries and street sweepers fitted with mobile signal monitors to map coverage street-by-street, creating a free postcode checker for all four major networks.

Offers #Ad

Rabbie’s is offering 10% off selected UK and Ireland day tours, including the Tales from the Dales & Brontë Country trip, for travel until 30 September 2025 with code DAY10.

Sykes’ Great Summer Sale includes The Blue Bell in Burton Agnes, a 19-bedroom large-group venue with a private pub, hot tub, and coastal access, now available at a reduced rate for selected dates.

What's on in Yorkshire this week?

Yorkshire is buzzing with an exciting line-up of events to suit all tastes. Whether you’re looking for live music, comedy, sports nostalgia, or family-friendly entertainment, there’s something for everyone. Here’s what’s coming up in the next week:

Craig David | TS5 Album Release Show at Stylus, Leeds on August 9th, 2025 7:00pm
The Smurfs (PG) at Whitby Pavilion Theatre Cinema on August 10th, 2025 2:00pm
Scarborough Spa Orchestra Morning Concert at Scarborough Spa Suncourt on August 11th, 2025 11:00am
The Smashing Pumpkins + special guests White Lies at The Piece Hall, Halifax on August 12th, 2025 6:00pm
Afternoon Flat Horse Racing at Beverley Racecourse – Wednesday 13 August 2025
Adebisi Shank at Brudenell Social Club, Leeds on August 14th, 2025 7:30pm
Ultra Sunn at HEADROW HOUSE, Leeds on August 15th, 2025 7:30pm
Riverdance – The New Generation at Sheffield City Hall Oval Hall, Sheffield on August 16th, 2025 2:30pm
Souls of Mischief – 93 ‘Til Infinty Tour at Foundry, Sheffield on August 17th, 2025 7:30pm