Harrogate

What's on in Harrogate

April/May/June

The Harrogate entertainment scene is positively thriving thanks to a new partnership between Harrogate Theatre and Harrogate Borough Council to secure the future of the Grade II-listed Royal Hall. For the first time, all cultural events are being marketed under the Harrogate Theatres banner, with a spectacular spring season boasting over 90 performances, including six world premieres. Kicking off the season is an exclusive, one-off concert by Elaine Paige at the Royal Hall (4 April), which is followed by such prestigious events as a performance by British jazz legends Acker Bilk and Kenny Ball (14 April), an evening with Honor Blackman in her new one-woman show (22 April), an evening with actor Edward Fox, a direct descendant of Samson Fox, the former Mayor of Harrogate (6 May), comedian Simon Amstell (14 May) and a performance by the Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers (26 May) Book your train tickets to Harrogate now and secure your place at these awe inspiring performances.

Harrogate Flower Show

Harrogate Spring Flower Show


26-29 April

Find a wealth of inspiration at the celebrated gardening event, which offers innovative show gardens, the biggest floral art marquee in the country, a Cookery Theatre, Garden Roadshow and thousands of horticultural products and handmade crafts. Watch Harrogate bloom this Spring, book train tickets now. flowershow.org.uk
Image credit: Harrogate Flower Show/North of England Horticultural Society

The Great Knaresborough Bed Race

The Great Knaresborough Bed Race

9 June

Teams in fancy dress pull decorated beds through the streets and carry them across the river at this fun-packed annual event, which this year has an Olympic Nations theme. Marching bands and live music add to the festive atmosphere. knaresborough.co.uk/bedrace

Royal Hall Spectacular and Proms Night

Royal Hall Spectacular and Proms Night

25 June

Enjoy a night of well-known classics in the architecturally stunning Royal Hall. Harrogate Symphony Orchestra performs, among others, Ravel’s “Bolero”, Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance” and Parry’s “Jerusalem”, as well as a tribute to John Barry, the great film composer, who died earlier this year.

royalhall.co.uk

5 things to see and do in Harrogate

5 things to see and do in Harrogate

  1. Fountains Abbey

    It’s a Monk’s Life are guided tours designed specifically for families: dress up in monks’ robes and get into character while a robed tour guide leads you through the grounds of the largest monastic ruins in the country and reveals details of the former inhabitants’ day-to-day existence. 4-5 & 11-13 April, 6-8 June.

  2. RHS Harlow Carr Garden

    See the gardens as they burst into bloom with hundreds of crocuses and daffodils. As one of the Royal Horticultural Society’s four gardens, Harlow Carr offers top quality specimens and a wide variety of planting. Enjoy the arboretum, alpine house, scented garden and Queen Mother’s Lake, and make sure to fit in a visit to Betty’s Café Tearoom.

  3. Mother Shipton’s Cave

    The curious Petrifying Well is the main reason visitors flock to England’s oldest visitor attraction, which first opened in Knaresborough in 1630 and is named after a Yorkshire prophetess. All manner of objects, from teddy bears to shoes, hang beneath a waterfall, apparently turned to stone due to the calcification properties of the water. Elsewhere you can enjoy lovely riverside walks.

  4. Ripley Castle

    Owned by 26 generations of the Ingilby family, one of the 10 oldest families in the country, the castle boasts over 700 years of history—often colourful, sometimes gruesome. Outside, the magnificent grounds contain fountains, magnificent herbaceous borders and a walled garden, which in April houses the National Hyacinth Collection. Follow the lakeside path to see fallow and red deer and enjoy fine views over the lake.

  5. The Hydro

    Splashing fun can be had in the three swimming pools—an activity/diving pool, main pool and learner pool—of this leisure centre, which also features a gym, dance studio and indoor cycling studio. Children’s parties can be held here, and there’s an Energy Bar café for post-exercise sustenance.

Near the station

Big Red Bike Co, 1-2 Odeon Buildings, East Parade, HG1 5LP

Big Red Bike Co, 1-2 Odeon Buildings, East Parade, HG1 5LP

Cyclists’ heaven is found over two floors of classic upright bicycles, road and trail bikes, premier-brand BMX bikes, commuter and hybrid versions, electric-powered bikes and children’s models.

Victoria Shopping Centre, Station Parade, HG1 1AE

Victoria Shopping Centre, Station Parade, HG1 1AE

Young fashion stores such as H&M, TK Maxx, La Senza and New Look can be found in the centre, as well as stationery stores, toy shops and a range of cafes for mid-shop sustenance.

James Brindley, 29-31 James Street, HG1 1QY

James Brindley, 29-31 James Street, HG1 1QY

The luxurious interior design store, established in 1937, offers one of the most extensive collections of fabrics in the UK, as well as classic and contemporary furniture and gorgeous home accessories.

Bookmark and Share