So the lineups for the big festivals have been announced and all the tickets for the biggest ones (including our own Leeds Festival) have been snaffled. If you’re anything like me you were still trying to find your glasses to check whether you’d read the price right by the time the last ticket was sold.
But who needs them anyway? We’re spoilt for choice in Yorkshire when it comes to local festivals, run more for love than for profit, and for the most part doing a darn better job of capturing what a festival should really be than any of the corporate sponsored affairs could ever dream of. So don’t despair – you’ll have a better time at any one of these anyway...
The Deer Shed Festival
This shiny newcomer in North Yorkshire will be a family friendly occasion, with kids events and workshops taking pride of place in the programme as much as the regular stuff for adults (of which there will also be plenty). There’ll be arts and crafts with a real get-involved ethos, alongside main and acoustic stages with headliners confirmed as The Wedding Present. Very much a civilised affair, this festival will also boast its very own cocktail bar!
Cleckheaton Folk Festival
Something of a calendar stalwart after more than 20 years as a West Yorkshire fixture, Cleckheaton Folk Festival returns this year with 25+ confirmed acts so far playing over the weekend in various venues around the town. And if you like your festivals to carry that will-it-won’t-it risk of rain, never fear – there’s a campsite available in the town so you can get the best of both worlds. There’ll also be all the ceilidhs, singalongs and local talent you’d expect from a fine folk fest, with added extras like a festival parade and even a continental market to stock up for the campsite.
Willowman Festival
Something of an alternative Glasto, this, taking place a week before the UK’s biggest festival. Willowman sells itself as a hippyish affair, with plenty of dubby and acoustic music including the likes of Dreadzone, The Beat and The Blockheads. For an eminently reasonable £49 in advance, you’ll also be able to pamper yourself with a healing area and spiritualists on site.
Swaledale Festival
Offering an epic two weeks of individually ticketed and free events across a gorgeous swathe of the north Dales, Swaledale festival incorporates classical, choral, jazz, world and folk music, as well as offering art trails, exhibitions hosted in pubs, and much more. Situated in one of the most beautiful parts of the country, this festival is ideal for dipping into with its packed programme of events taking place in intimate venues.
Whitby Folk Week
Another jam-packed programme in Whitby for the town’s traditional Folk Week, incorporating over 600 events in 30+ venues over the course of the festival. No acts have yet been confirmed, but you can expect a full range from the biggest names to those spontaneous fringe events which so often prove the mettle of a town-based festival such as this. With camping available for festival-goers and all of the usual sights of Whitby to boot, this should prove a great late summer break for folk fans.
Burton Agnes Jazz & Blues Festival
For the fourth year running, gorgeous Elizabethan estate Burton Agnes will in 2010 host its Jazz Weekend, with a range of tickets available from full weekend with camping, to individual evening and daytime sessions. 26 acts are to be announced in total – but headlining the Saturday night will be the award-winning trombone star Dennis Rollins with his outstanding Velocity Trio. Picnics are actively encouraged in this idyllic setting, where a barbecue selling local meats will also be available.
Moor Music Festival 2010
With a maximum 2500 capacity, the Moor Music Festival has earned its excellent reputation over the years, offering a full six marquees of music this year, as well as art installations, silent disco, kid’s (and grown-up kid’s) play activities, and the Dub Luv VW field. No acts have as yet been announced but a lovely atmosphere is guaranteed at this independent, non-corporate event. This year the festival has been extended by a full day, meaning three days’ entertainment and four nights camping! Buy tickets here...
Cocoon In The Park
For one day and night, techno legend Sven Vath will have his wicked way with the awesome venue of Temple Newsam estate, bringing with him such luminaries as Ricardo Villalobos, Loco Dice and Adam Shelton (with more acts to be confirmed in the coming weeks). It’s not quite a festival, but it’s outdoors and will be boasting some fine music – so it just scraped into this here roundup!
With plenty more festivals going on around the region, keep checking back for more previews of up and coming happenings
Image by Gavin Freeborn