Whitby Lit Fest Unveils Star-Studded Programme

John Boyne, Ann Cleeves, Si King, Joanne Harris, Mark Billingham, Greta Scacchi, Corinne Bailey Rae and Dr Sian Williams are heading to Whitby The town that inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula and has fired the imaginations of generations of writers is preparing to welcome some of the biggest names in books for the 2026 Whitby Lit Fest.

Mari Wilson: Girl About Town

With a career spanning four and a half decades, Mari Wilson has done rather a lot. There have been chart hits, jazz clubs, musical theatre, a skyscraper beehive, a twelve-piece band, and more than a few famous faces along the way. Now, the Neasden Queen of Soul is back with Girl About Town, her first album of original material in more than a decade.

Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant Leads Star-Studded Durham Book Festival Line-up Celebrating Stories Forged In The North

Durham Book Festival’s 2026 line-up features some of the UK's most exciting writers, thinkers, performers and broadcasters exploring literature, politics, history, music, and poetry.

Exploring The Power Of Mind Over Matter

What makes the human imagination so powerful, who shapes our view of the world, and why are we so fascinated by the supernatural? Raworths Salon North explores these questions and much more when it returns this autumn.

Robert Wolfe Plays The Magnificent Wurlitzer At Victoria Hall, Saltaire

The Cinema Organ Society is delighted to welcome back one of Britain's finest theatre organists, Robert Wolfe, for a concert on the magnificent Wurlitzer at Victoria Hall, Saltaire, on Sunday 13th September, at 2.30pm. Robert's love affair with the theatre organ began on a childhood family holiday to Blackpool, where a single visit to the famous Tower Ballroom sparked a lifelong passion.

Blackpool 80s Weekender: Two Days of Pure Nostalgia

If you still believe the 1980s produced some of the greatest pop music of all time, then Blackpool is the place to be this September. The Blackpool 80s Weekender arrives at the iconic Winter Gardens on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 September 2026, bringing together a stellar line-up of artists who helped define the soundtrack of the decade.

Young People In Leeds Invited To Take Part In National Filmmaking Competition

Children and teenagers from Leeds are being invited to film a message to their future selves as part of a new national filmmaking competition launched by the Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts (PQA).

Something For Everyone: Lakefest Hits Its Stride At 15

There are festivals that are built around one particular genre, one particular demographic or one particular headline act. Then there is Lakefest — a festival that seems determined to offer something for everyone.

Citizens Of Nowhere: Journeys Of Hope - The Letters Of Meyer And Sonia By Alison Marshall

Alison Marshall’s capturing of a circuitous historical journey between Russia, South Africa and the UK embodies, almost by definition, a testament of first-hand witness: following in the footsteps of her grandparents, by means of a long correspondence conducted over several pre-war months, Marshall painstakingly pieces together an unbreakable relationship whose strength brokers the pain…

Ed O’Donnell, The Doyen Of Leeds Jazz

Over many years I have interviewed countless jazzmen (and a few women), who have given me pleasure by the music they played and the gusto or sensitivity with which they played it. One stands out from the rest because he was completely different. In all I interviewed him five times, three at home and two after a gig. Amazingly, he never repeated himself, his fund of anecdotes endless.

Albums: The Strokes - Reality Awaits

For a band that practically wrote the blueprint for 21st-century indie rock, The Strokes has always seemed oddly uncomfortable with nostalgia. Reality Awaits, the long-awaited seventh album, doesn't try to recreate the leather-jacket cool of Is This It or simply extend the sleek melancholy of The New Abnormal

Albums: Role Model Chuck Timely & The Hourglass

Before his breakthrough hit Sally, When the Wine Runs Out, Role Model often felt like an artist still searching for his identity. That song changed everything, pairing effortless charm with sharp songwriting, and Chuck Timely & The Hourglass proves it was no fluke. Rather than simply chasing the success of his biggest hit to date, Role Model uses it as a springboard for an album that feels more confident, more adventurous and, ultimately, more complete.

Art - Task Or Pleasure

Colin Neville is the curator of the website Not Just Hockney. As I am featured in his list of artists on this website, he kindly informed me recently about a very interesting gentleman called Thomas Ablett. I immediately felt a connection to this artist.

Classical Music: De Profundis: Choral Works by Parry and Elgar

Signum pairs two composers who rarely feel like strangers to one another, and this disc makes the case for their kinship well. Parry's De Profundis — a large-scale, twelve-part setting of Psalm 130 — dominates proceedings, its long arc from penitence to consolation still capable of catching a listener off guard more than a century on. God Is Our Hope and Strength offers a shorter but no less confident companion piece, while Elgar supplies the disc's more intimate corners: the partsong The Snow and the folk-inflected Scenes from the Bavarian Highlands, both far removed from the pomp he's better known for.

Classical Music: Scenes From Finland

The Oulu Sinfonia are the real stars of this cycle: precise, accurate, never once caught fumbling for a note, with woodwind and strings that make light and melody of everything put in front of them. Four composers, one landscape, and not a single weak link in the chain — Sibelius would probably approve of the company he's keeping

Exploding Flowers On Tour

Exploding Flowers has often found itself mentioned alongside revered names such as Big Star, The Soft Boys and the many bands associated with New Zealand's legendary Flying Nun Records. Rather than shy away from those comparisons, the band embraces them.

‘Iconic’ Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival Celebrates Record Visitor Numbers

The Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival celebrated significant audience growth with record numbers of crime fiction fans from across the UK, Europe, the US and beyond flocking to the Old Swan Hotel, Harrogate to enjoy more than 34 events with 140 authors over four days, 23-26 July.

London City Ballet Return To York Theatre Royal With Firebird

Recently nominated as Best Independent Company at the upcoming National Dance Awards 2026, London City Ballet will be back at York Theatre Royal this Autumn with a new programme of work (18-19 Sep) - including a co-production with York Theatre Royal of Glen Tetley’s Firebird.

Harrogate Comedy Festival Celebrates 17 Years Of Bringing Britain's Biggest Laughs To Yorkshire

Harrogate Theatre is preparing to welcome some of the biggest names in comedy as Harrogate Comedy Festival returns this autumn with another outstanding programme of stand-up, improv, storytelling and family entertainment.

2026 Mercury Prize ‘Albums Of The Year’ Revealed

The Utilita Arena will host October's ceremony, with Sam Fender's home city welcoming back Britain and Ireland's most prestigious album prize — Andrew Palmer reports. Newcastle will once again take centre stage for British and Irish music this autumn, as the Mercury Prize confirmed the city will host its 2026 Awards Show on Thursday 22nd October at the Utilita Arena.

Annie: Pinning Today’s Hopes And Dreams On A Brighter Tomorrow

Like the 1982 film, the current version of Annie is based on a feisty, eleven year old orphan with an unwavering belief that her parents will return for her – and her life will be transformed forever.

A Right Royal Handbagging In Scarborough

Moira Buffini's Olivier Award-winning Handbagged is a witty, intelligent and sharply-observed political comedy which imagines the private conversations between Queen Elizabeth II and Margaret Thatcher during the latter's eleven years as Prime Minister.

1980s Soundtrack In Conversation With Tom Bailey

Few artists are as closely associated with the soundtrack of the 1980s as Tom Bailey. As the frontman of the Thompson Twins, he helped define an era with a string of timeless synth-pop classics, yet his relationship with that legacy has always been measured rather than nostalgic.

Huddersfield Choral Youth Choirs Is Calling For Young Singers To Come Along To A Fun, Musical Day Out On 25 August

The Summer Singers Holiday Club will take place on Tuesday 25 August from 9.30am to 3.30pm at Lindley Methodist Church. The event is open to children aged seven and over and costs £25 per child. Organised by Huddersfield Choral Youth Choirs, the one-day club promises a lively mix of songs, games and music-making in a friendly, supportive setting.

Opeth - Paradise Found In Halifax

Two of rock music’s giants stormed into the Piece Hall in Halifax to give the summer series of concerts at the venue a heavier tone.

Local Performing Arts Business Named Finalist In National Awards

Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts (PQA) York, Scarborough, Beverley, and Hull has been named a finalist in the Scaling Business of the Year category at The Class Business Awards 2026. The Class Business Awards recognise businesses and individuals delivering outstanding experiences through classes, clubs and activities across the UK.

Big Names Headlining Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival 2026

Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival is back with a bang this autumn featuring a host of national treasures and literary stars. The Literature Festival, sponsored by Raworths Solicitors, is one of the biggest dates in the country’s literary calendar taking place across two action-packed weeks (11 – 25 October) in the North Yorkshire spa town.

Double Bill For Mighty Wurlitzer As Two Organists Share Saltaire Console

August brings something a little different to Victoria Hall, Saltaire, where two organists will share the console of the Mighty Wurlitzer for a single afternoon concert on Sunday 9th August at 2.30pm. Two players, of course, means two personalities — and audiences can expect two distinct takes on this extraordinary instrument.

From Alpine Roots To Global Stages: How Oesch’s Die Dritten Keep Tradition Alive

In the rolling green valleys of Switzerland’s Bernese Oberland, where yodelling once carried messages from mountain to mountain, a family ensemble has spent nearly three decades proving that tradition need not stand still to survive.

Gin, Ghosts And Greasepaint: Harrogate Theatre Uncorks A Bumper Autumn

Andrew Palmer was among the guests toasting a sparkling season launch, complete with a bespoke theatre gin, mini cupcakes and a season ranging from Hitchcock and Michael Morpurgo to the surreal comic genius of Daniel Kitson There are worse ways to spend an evening than being handed a gin and prosecco cocktail and a mini cupcake before the house lights have even dimmed.

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