Festival

Among the musical line-up will be Boomtown Rats, Heather Small, and ex-Rolling Stone Bill Wyman.

The festival kicks off on the Friday with a big opening night party with The Troggs and Funkin’ Massive Party Band.

The main festival marquee will showcase several big players this year. As well as Bill Wyman performing with The Rhythm Kings, comedian Omid Djalili will also take a headline spot. Also in the marquee will be Only Men Aloud with special guest Laura Wright, and the now infamous Last Night Party with Heather Small, formerly of M People.

As well as the opening night party, Grassington Town Hall will host an array of other big events this year. These include a premiere of local filmmaker Geoff Kerr’s film The Settlement, The Bad Shepherds featuring Adrian Edmondson, The School of Night, Al Wood’s Great Little Big Band and Bugalu Foundation and DJ Lubi.

The 2014 festival theme is around words and messages, slogans and sayings. Sitting at the core of this is WordLab: Think While You Ink – an experimental print space for the community, led by artist printmaker Helen Peyton – encouraging all to come and get inky and use the beautiful Victorian letterpress. In addition a range of activities will hinge on the theme, including A Firm of Poets, I Believe in Unicorns, Ray Snape, and George’s Marvellous Medicine.

This year’s speakers include Kate Adie and Sean Conway, plus “An evening with Helen Fraser” sees the continuation of the partnership established last year with Victoria Hall in Settle.

Classical music will sweep across Grassington as part of the festival. This includes the Gala Concert at the Town Hall with Nicholas Daniel and the Carducci String Quartet, violin duo Retorica in Threshfield, Arioso: Naples to Vienna at Scargill House, and Snake Strings in Burnsall as well as The Messiah performing with a newly formed community choir. Plus Grassington Festival presents exceptional professional soloists including the incredible Bone Boneventura who has sung in the great opera houses all over the world.

The ever-popular Food Festival returns to celebrate all that is great about Yorkshire food. The usual stallholders of the Northern Dales Farmers Market will feature and the market-style event will showcase local suppliers including Grassington’s very own Relish, Kilnsey Park Estate trout, Chris Wildman of Town End Farm Shop (home of Yorkshire Chorizo), Andy Swinscoe of Courtyard Dairy (recently shortlisted in the BBC Food and Farming award) and Amaali Kashmiri food in Skipton. There will also be demonstrations from renowned local chefs John Rudden, of Grassington House, and Stephanie Moon.

The “Festival in the Square” Saturdays will set Grassington alight with an eclectic programme of free live music and street theatre. The visual arts team has also been working with local schoolchildren as the Carnival Print Procession celebrates the opening of the Festival by walking through the village with colourful billowing flags.

Festival director Kate Beard said: “This year promises to be an extra-special year for Yorkshire, and an extra-special year for Grassington Festival, thanks to the celebration of the Tour de France coming to the county this year with the Yorkshire Festival. The festival is providing 100 days of world-class art and culture in the run up to the Grand Depart of the world’s largest bike race, and Grassington Festival is part of several of the 47 projects chosen. Those projects are The Tour of Infinite Possibility with Hope & Social, Wish You Were Here, CheerSing, Bike Story, Le Grand Voyage, Tour De Cinema, and Bicycle with Barefoot.”

In addition to the events mentioned above, Grassington Festival will also have a range of workshops, gigs and smaller initiatives, as well as supporting local artists and emerging talent through an innovative Festival Fringe programme. The Fringe line-up is detailed in the Events Guide and on the website.

Kate added: “As well as bringing high-profile artists to Yorkshire, Grassington Festival places great importance on its local communities by working in schools, care homes and providing free events for all the family. The festival is a charity that strives to give back to the community in spades. There are a number of workshops and activities on the programme that are suitable and accessible for all ages and abilities to ensure that everyone that wants to can get involved.”

To view the full programme, visit grassington-festival.org.uk.