Wetherby Arts Festival

It began in 1977. It was the year of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee. Forty-three years later, people still think it a great idea to bring the community together and attract people to our town. In 2020 this intention is made more necessary due to the terrible virus affecting the lives of so many.

We still distribute thousands of programmes door-to-door. We still have a Box Office in town beforehand and the performances attract sell-out attendance. Many think it pays to become a Festival member in order to enjoy advanced booking, preferential seating and up-to-date news.

Over the years there have been some famous names from the world of arts alongside local talent. They have included Stéphane Grappelli, Humphrey Littleton, Honor Blackman, Roger McGough, Julian Lloyd Webber and comics fresh from the Edinburgh Fringe such as Tom Wrigglesworth, Dr Phil Hammond and Shappi Khorshandi.

2020 will be a short festival but we hope to bring in a number of the favourites and some new. The ever popular literary lunch will feature a well known writer, Bad Apple theatre will present a new act that we are sure will draw a great crowd of theatre goers. The Leeds Symphony Orchestra will present a new programme. A new feature will be Rule the World's tribute to Take That. And don't forget there will be a comic line-up and much more. We will pack the events into our 'short' festival!