York’s Summer of Festivals

With the weather set to be warming up this summer, you may be left pondering how you can spend your time away from work or studies.

York is hosting a wide range of festivals, with something for all to enjoy, whether young or old, a fan of music or of food. Here is a rundown of the top festivals in and around York this summertime.

Festival of Ideas- 11th- 24th June

Titled under the theme ‘The Next Chapter’, this festival offers a programme consisting of over 150 free events both online and in-person. The event is over a weeklong and it aims to educate, entertain, and inspire. There is a vast variety of topics to choose from, talks and performances are being held in area such as history, health, art, and archaeology. A calendar of events for you to learn more about a topic can be browed here.

You can read more about the Festival of Ideas here when YorNews spoke to Director Joan Concannon.

Poppleton Beer Festival- 17th & 18th June

On the outskirts of the city lies the Poppleton Beer Festival. This year sees the 10th festival the village has hosted. With over 70 options of real ales for you to try, this family friendly festival is loved by many residents who visit year after year. Hosted at the Poppleton Junior Football Club, the event has an array of ciders, pimms, wines and prosecco for people to enjoy, whilst listening to live bands.

More information and tickets can be found here.

Deer Shed Festival- 29th- 31st July

A family favourite festival since 2010 is Deer Shed Festival. Located at Baldersby Park, Topcliffe, the festival is headlined by John Grant, Nadine Shah, and Django Django. Also of interest is acts Self Esteem and Yard Act who have rose to popularity over the last year with tracks such as ‘Prioritise Pleasure’, ‘Rich’, and ‘The Overload’. To view more of the line-up and further information, visit here.

York Early Music Festival- 8-16th July

This festival is one of the longest established events in York, with the first one taking place in 1977. People from around the world come to see the celebration of York’s medieval churches, houses, and guildhalls through the form of music making. All the concerts are carried out alongside talks, workshops and recitals. To fid our more information on the festival and to get access to the concerts online, visit The National Centre for Early Music.

Magpies Festival- 12th-14th August

If you’re a fan of folk music, this ones for you. Organised by all-female folk band The Magpies, the festival takes place at Sutton Park and aims to provide opportunities to provide a platform for emerging local musicians. If you want to experience the full festival experience, there are camping options available. Tickets are now on sale from £20 and can be found here.

Ebor Festival at the Racecourse- 17th- 20th August

The Ebor festival is returning to York, giving you a chance to dress up and enjoy some of the most famous races over four days. With a Ladies Day, the Juddmonte International and not forgetting, the most famous Ebor race. People come from all over the UK to fashion their finest suits and frocks and enjoy the races and tickets sell fast, so be sure to visit here to check availability.

Not to worry if races are not to your liking, the Racecourse are also hosting a Music Showcase Weekend featuring performances from Madness and Sugababes on 22nd and 23rd July.

Yorkshire Balloon Fiesta 23rd- 25th September

This years Balloon Fiesta is set to be bigger than ever before, with the likes of Scouting for Girls and Craig Charles headlining the stage on Friday night. Last years fiesta saw 60,000 people gathered to watch the hot air balloon launches and live music. As well as this, people come to enjoy the fun fair and the large selection of food and drink. You can keep up to date with the highly anticipated fiesta here.