What's On This Summer in the North East and Yorkshire
Your summer plans sorted
Books by the Beach
One for the bookworms this National Year of Reading. The Traitors star Harriet Tyce and Essie Fox, who has reimagined the Brontë classic Wuthering Heights, join the authors on the lineup for this year’s Books by the Beach event in Scarborough.
5TH–7TH JUNE
Venues across Scarborough
booksbythebeach.co.uk
Moulin Rouge! The Musical
Baz Luhrmann’s film is remixed in a new musical mash-up in Moulin Rouge! The Musical. Following a fabulous West End run, you won’t want to miss this production when it heads to Sunderland this summer.
5TH–27TH JUNE
Sunderland Empire
atgtickets.com
Yorkshire Puffin Festival
Head to Flamborough Cliffs nature reserve this summer for expert-led guided walks, boat trips and the best chance to see the iconic puffins (plus thousands of other seabirds).
6TH & 7TH JUNE
Flamborough Cliffs
ywt.org.uk
North Yorkshire Open Studios
North Yorkshire Open Studios is back for summer with artists and makers from across the area opening their studios for a unique chance to meet them and experience their work. Creatives taking part this year include painter Alex Ash, mixed-media artist Emma James and textiles artist Fiona Robertson.
6TH–7TH & 13TH–14TH JUNE
Across North Yorkshire
nyos.org.uk
Madness
Madness are turning Halifax’s Piece Hall into the House of Fun when they headline TK Maxx presents Live at The Piece Hall, joined by reggae vocalist Hollie Cook and reggae punk band The Skints. Don’t miss it.
11TH & 12TH JUNE
The Piece Hall, Halifax
thepiecehall.co.uk
Scarborough Fringe
Across 10 days, Scarborough Fringe will put on theatre, music, comedy, dance, spoken word, and children’s shows for oodles of family fun.
12TH–21ST JUNE
Scarborough
scarboroughfair.uk
The Great Knaresborough Bed Race
Beds will be hurtling down the streets of Knaresborough – yes really! This year’s theme for The Great Knaresborough Bed Race (part fancy dress pageant and part gruelling time trial) is The Swinging Sixties. Cheer the teams on at the start or as they cross the finishing line at Conyngham Hall field, or join the crowds in the Market Place or High Street, past the World‘s End pub and over High Bridge.
13TH JUNE
Across Knaresborough
bedrace.co.uk
WentFest
Aussie icon Jason Donovan headlines Wentfest which this year has a brand-new New Music Stage for fresh sounds, and welcomes the return of the popular Last Laugh Comedy Tent.
13TH JUNE
Hooton Lodge Farm, Rotherham
wentfest.com
The Hepworth Wakefield Print Fair
Find your new favourite artist at The Hepworth Wakefield Print Fair. More than 60 artists, printmakers and galleries from across the UK will be displaying their works and there’ll be family-friendly activities and street food too.
13TH & 14TH JUNE
The Hepworth Wakefield
hepworthwakefield.org
Amy Dowden & Carlos Gu: Reborn
Strictly fans won’t want to miss Amy Dowden MBE and fellow Strictly Come Dancing pro Carlos Gu in Reborn with a world-class team of dancers, live vocalists, and a soundtrack of your favourite anthems. Prepare to be dazzled.
16TH JUNE
Grand Opera House York
atgtickets.com
Adriana Brownlee: Death Zone
Leading British mountaineer, paragliding pilot and adventure athlete, Adriana Brownlee is the youngest woman to have climbed the world’s second-highest and arguably most-notorious peak, K2, and the youngest woman to climb all 14 of the 8000m peaks. Don’t miss her visit to Middlesbrough Town Hall where she’ll share stories of near death experiences and the highs and lows of her journey.
17TH JUNE
Middlesbrough Town Hall
boxoffice.middlesbrough.gov.uk
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)
All 37 of Shakespeare’s plays will be told by three actors from Reduced Shakespeare Company in this brand-new, updated version of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged). It’s fast, it’s furious and it’s always brilliant.
19TH & 20TH JUNE
Northern Stage, Newcastle
northernstage.co.uk
Great Northern Contemporary Craft & Art Fair
Head along to the Great Northern Contemporary Craft & Art Fair to browse and buy handmade crafts and artwork from more than 100 selected makers and artists including ceramicists and furniture makers.
18TH–21ST JUNE
Sport Central, Northumbria University, Newcastle
greatnorthernevents.co.uk
Made in Tennessee
Dust off your cowboy boots. Country music fans won’t want to miss this taste of Nashville from a band made up of some of UK’s finest country musicians. They’ll play the genre’s hits from across the decades from Johnny to Dolly to modern stars.
19TH & 20TH JUNE
Alnwick Playhouse
alnwickplayhouse.co.uk
Summer Solstice Celebration
Take a stroll in Raby’s walled gardens, then enjoy a bite to eat or a glass of wine and a wood-fired pizza in the beautiful Vinery with extended entry especially for the summer solstice.
20TH JUNE
Raby Castle, Staindrop
raby.co.uk
Humber Bridge Soapbox Derby
Join the crowds to see the homemade soapbox racers hurtle down the track at the iconic Humber Bridge Soapbox Derby. Meanwhile spectators can enjoy food stalls and live music.
20TH JUNE
Humber Bridge Car Park, Hessle
humberbridgesoapboxderby.co.uk
Beverley Knight
Beverley Knight is stopping by York Barbican on her UK tour, sharing stories from her life on the stage and performing her biggest hits as well as favourites from musical theatre with a live band.
20TH JUNE
York Barbican
yorkbarbican.co.uk
Dino Day
Dinosaurs are taking over Hopetown as theatre company RentaDinosaur perform theatrical shows families will love. Younger children will enjoy feeding time with the dino babies.
21ST JUNE
Hopetown Darlington
hopetowndarlington.co.uk
Anastacia
With special guest Heather Small, American singer-songwriter Anastacia will perform a special outdoor performance at Scarborough Open Air Theatre. Don’t miss this opportunity to see her perform her hottest hits including I’m Outta Love and Sick and Tired.
21ST JUNE
Scarborough Open Air Theatre
scarboroughopenairtheatre.com
Lily Allen
Lily Allen’s fifth studio album has been on repeat for many – she hadn’t released an album in seven years! Following unsurprisingly sold-out theatre shows recently, she’s heading out to arenas, making this her biggest headline tour.
21ST JUNE
First Direct Arena, Leeds
firstdirectbankarena.com
Kai Widdrington: Evolution
Kai Widdrington: Evolution is back by popular demand. Sharing his evolution from where it all started to becoming a Strictly pro, Kai Widdrington is taking audiences on a journey through dance genres with support from an incredible cast of dancers.
23RD JUNE
Darlington Hippodrome
darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk
The Choir Of Man
Direct from the West End, and as seen recently on the BBC’s Big Night of Musicals, The Choir Of Man heads to Bradford on its first ever UK tour of this uplifting production all about community and friendship, set in a pub.
23RD–27TH JUNE
The Alhambra Theatre, Bradford
bradford-theatres.co.uk
Northumberland Plate Festival
Plate Day continues its legacy as one of the North East’s biggest social and sporting occasions. Dress up, gather your friends and place your bets for some thrilling racing this summer.
25TH–27TH JUNE
Newcastle Racecourse
newcastle-racecourse.co.uk
Horrible Histories: Terrible Tudors
Your kids will love Horrible Histories live on stage. Actors and 3D special effects bring historical figures and events back to life as you hear the legends and lies about the Tudors. Can you survive the Spanish Armada as it sails into the audience?
25TH–27TH JUNE
Hull City Hall
hulltheatres.co.uk
Austentatious: An Improvised Jane Austen Novel
Award-winning West End smash-hit comedy Austentatious is on a strictly limited tour and stopping by Leeds and Newcastle to hilariously improvise a new Jane Austen novel. Bring your suggestions because it’ll be entirely inspired by you.
14TH JUNE
Leeds Grand Theatre
leedsheritagetheatres.com
26TH JUNE
Tyne Theatre & Opera House, Newcastle.
tynetheatreandoperahouse.uk
Northern Chords Festival
Northern Chords Festival returns to the North East this summer with a weekend of world-class classical performances. The Opening Gala at St Mary’s Church, Whickham, features Schubert’s much-loved Trout Quintet, showcasing superstars of the classical music scene. Saturday’s concert at The Common Room in Newcastle is titled Nature and Folk and explores music inspired by landscape and tradition. The festival closes in Fenham with a fresh take on Handel’s Messiah.
26TH–28TH JUNE
Venues across Newcastle & Gateshead
northernchords.com
Summer Music Saturday
York Racecourse’s Music Showcase Weekend returns. After a thrilling day of racing at the Sky Bet York Stakes, don’t miss a live performance from Becky Hill on the Saturday of this popular event.
27TH JUNE
York Racecourse
yorkracecourse.co.uk
Jo Sharpe: Still/Life
This exhibition brings together a series of still life artworks celebrating the textures of early summer and the rituals of home. Jo Sharpe is a Norfolk-born artist living in South London on the Surrey border. Her still life pieces are painted in oils and can take several years to develop.
UNTIL 5TH JULY
The Biscuit Factory, Ouseburn
thebiscuitfactory.com
Sublime Landscapes
Sublime Landscapes features watercolours and prints from the Laing Art Gallery’s collection responding to the potential for landscape art to be awe-inspiring through the eyes of artists working between the 18th century and the present day. The exhibition also presents the first opportunity to see three new acquisitions presented by the Contemporary Art Society in 2024–2025.
UNTIL 5TH DECEMBER
Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle
northeastmuseums.org.uk
Tom McGuinness: Out of the Darkness
In his centenary year, the Mining Art Gallery celebrates Tom McGuinness, a quiet man who communicated through art – he didn’t seek simply to record details of the mining industry but expressed what it really felt like to be a miner. McGuinness found a rich seam of artistic inspiration in the coal mines of County Durham, painting the industry and its people from his own experiences. He saw more in the scene than most people would and, with an artist’s eye, a comprehensive knowledge and a clarity of thought, interpreted this for us all to comprehend. His visceral depictions of life underground serve as a powerful, emotive reminder of the lives lived by many in the mining communities of the North East.
UNTIL DECEMBER
Mining Art Gallery
aucklandproject.org
