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A Festival of Yorkshire in Scarborough is launched
A brand new
festival celebrating the best of Yorkshire is set to be added to
Scarborough’s growing calendar of events next year.
“A Festival of Yorkshire - Scarborough”
will run from Yorkshire Day, 1 August, with music and literature
events, games, performances and exhibitions potentially set to
continue until Saturday 4 August. A number of the events and
activities being planned will be free.
The new festival is being led by
Scarborough Borough Council and the Scarborough Urban Area Forum as
part of its arts culture and sport theme for 2012 and supported by
Welcome to Yorkshire in association with a number of other partners
which so far include The Yorkshire Society, Scarborough Spa,
Scarborough Castle, the Woodend Creative Industries Centre and
Scarborough Library and Information Centre.
It is being launched to coincide
specifically with Yorkshire Day, after Scarborough was invited by
the Yorkshire Society to host the main civic gathering when mayors,
chairmen and other dignitaries from across the region gather
together to celebrate their pride in Yorkshire and the region’s
unique appeal.
The Civic Day will start at the iconic Spa
and a procession will follow led by the Yorkshire Volunteers band
along the Foreshore. Guests will be driven in vintage coaches
to St Mary’s Church for a traditional service before they return to
the Spa for a reception and Yorkshire celebration. This will
be followed by an opportunity to see a classic Scarborough product,
Tony Peers Productions’ summer show in the Spa’s Victorian
Theatre.
Chairman of The Yorkshire Society, Keith
Madeley said: “We’re really excited by the plans for Yorkshire Day
celebrations in Scarborough and in particular the efforts that are
being made to get the community involved. I know many people in
Scarborough are immensely proud of their Yorkshire roots and I hope
they come out in force to show their support.”
Welcome to Yorkshire Area Director Janet Deacon added: “We are
delighted to be supporting this new festival. This is a great
opportunity to showcase the very best of Scarborough and Yorkshire
to the wider world and I’m confident it will provide a fantastic
boost to the town’s tourism economy.”
Scarborough Borough Council’s area forum
support officer Matthew Joseph who is leading the organising team
behind the festival, said: “Yorkshire Day celebrations are
traditionally grand civic affairs, but we wanted to take it one
step further and give the day meaning to ordinary people in our
community who are also immensely proud of being Yorkshire men and
Yorkshire women, as well as create a festival with much wider
appeal.
“Yorkshire has a vibrant culture and
identity all of its own which is celebrated every week in
Scarborough through art and music and the things that are produced
here. We want to tap in to that Yorkshire pride and obvious
Yorkshire talent and pull together a festival which celebrates and
showcases the best of Yorkshire art, culture and history, business
and entrepreneurship, right here in Scarborough.
“We have already made a number of
approaches to groups and organisations in the town and an itinerary
of events under the umbrella banner of ‘A Festival of Yorkshire’ is
currently being pulled together.
“We’re pleased with the way things are
going so far, but if there are other music promoters or event
organisers who want to pull together another Yorkshire element to
the festival, we’re open to ideas and further partnership and
co-operation.”
On top of the civic element of Yorkshire
Day, there are moves to stage a Made in Yorkshire exhibition at the
Spa from 1 August, with businesses and groups from Yorkshire
invited to set up a stall to showcase their work. Scarborough’s
Yorkshire Coast College and the University of Hull Scarborough
Campus will also be invited to get involved.
Scarborough Castle is also set to support
“A Festival of Yorkshire” with a “flat-cap Frisbee” event on 1
August and guided tours of the castle, which in 1066 was the first
landing place of King Harald Hardrada during his ill-fated attempt
to seize the English throne from Harold Godwinson.
On Thursday 2 August North Yorkshire’s
library service is planning to stage a Yorkshire Authors’ Day in
Scarborough’s library and information centre in Vernon Road which
will feature a host of well-known writers from the region.
On Friday 3 August the focus is set to
switch to Scarborough’s historic Market Hall and Vaults with
cookery demonstrations and a celebration of Yorkshire’s fresh
produce.
One of the highlights of “A Festival of
Yorkshire” will be a repeat of last year’s Scarborough Sings
Together. It will take place at the Spa on 4 August and feature
more than 150 performers from young rappers to church choirs.
Scarborough Borough Council is also hoping to stage a large
community sporting event in the town, possibly featuring
traditional Yorkshire games. And negotiations are also taking place
about staging a mini music festival featuring Scarborough bands,
playing under the banner of “A Festival of Yorkshire”.