From Halloween to Christmas – autumn in Yorkshire
Jack & the Beanstalk, Carriageworks Theatre, Leeds
Friday 1st December 2017 – Saturday 6th January 2018
Various times | Ticket prices start from £13
This Christmas, The Carriageworks Theatre is collaborating with Paul Holman Associates, one of the country’s leading pantomime production companies, to present a modern adaptation of the popular children’s story, Jack and the Beanstalk, as West Yorkshire plays host to the classic folk tale of the Cornish hero and his gigantic nemesis. Experience the magic of the season as our hero climbs panto’s tallest plant in pursuit of untold riches, unaware of a giant’s plans to grind his bones.
Prospective patrons beware: The Carriageworks Theatre regrets to inform you that it cannot accept magic beans payment for tickets to this, or any other show
Beauty & the Beast, The Grand Opera House, York
Friday 15th December 2017 – Sunday 7th January 2018
Various times | Ticket prices start from £19
This Christmas, Three Bears Productions presents a modern adaptation of one of popular culture’s most famous fairytales on the pantomime stage. This magical tale as old as time is guaranteed to enthral the whole family as the Grand Opera House hosts this beast of a show.
Featuring festive performances from an array of famous faces, including Blue’s Antony Costa, Home and Away’s Lynne McGranger, Coranation Street’s Ken Morley and Strictly Come Dancing contestant Debbie McGee, Beauty and the Beast will enchant audiences throughout the festive season.
Prepare to be spellbound by Three Bears’ most beautiful and beastly production yet!
St Nicholas Fair, York
16th November – 22nd December
Sunday to Wednesday 10.00 am to 6.00 pm | Thursday to Saturday 10.00 am to 8.00 pm
Marvel at York’s transformation into a Winter wonderland immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of Christmas and discover the delights of St Nicholas Fair, York’s premier festive market and a cornerstone of the historic city’s yuletide traditions. The celebrations commence across York on Festive First Night on 16th November as the official opening of St Nicholas Fair coincides with the Christmas lights switch on, illuminating the city in a twinkling blaze of festivity. Wooden, Scandinavian-style chalets will brighten York’s Winter days, as the Christmas market’s array of local produce and handcrafted gifts will offer a range of unique and inspirational ideas for Christmas presents.
Amble around the Shambles and take pleasure in the seasonal atmosphere abundant in York’s favourite festive market
Harrogate Christmas Market
Thursday 16th – Sunday 19th November
Thursday to Saturday 10.00 am to 8.00 pm | Sunday 10.00 am to 5.00 pm
Hosted in the historic Montpellier Quarter of Harrogate town centre, this popular four day festive market will showcase the finest local products from the Yorkshire region. With nearly two hundred traders expected, selling a variety of things ranging from cheeses and chutneys to handmade gifts and Christmas decorations, Harrogate Christmas Market is a highlight of the town’s festive events calendar exhibiting exceptional, locally produced food and crafts. There will be funfair rides for children to enjoy and which will augment the jovial carnival atmosphere of the occasion.
Kids will also have an opportunity to visit Santa Claus and his reindeer in his grotto to share their Christmas wish lists. The sounds of a broad spectrum of ensembles will also provide musical entertainment for everyone to enjoy for the duration of the Christmas market.
Harrogate’s annual Christmas lights switch on also forms part of the celebratory, carnival atmosphere that is synonymous with this cornerstone of Horrogate’s festive events calendar.
Make Harrogate Christmas Market an essential part of your countdown to Christmas
Ripon Cathedral Christmas Gift and Food Fair
Saturday 25th November | 9.30 am to 4.30 pm
The Christmas Gift and Food Fair returns to Ripon Cathedral on Saturday 25th November for another exciting year of seasonal festivities. Hosting a variety of Yuletide favourites, including hot turkey sandwiches and mulled wine, in addition to entertainment throughout the day from a range of musical ensembles, this popular annual event offers people a unique cultural experience on the eve of advent within the beautiful interiors of Ripon Cathedral. Children will have an opportunity to visit Santa Claus in his Grotto to share their Christmas wish lists, and there will be over a hundred stalls offering a diverse range of seasonal food and unique gifts.
The Ripon Cathedral Christmas Gift and Food Fair is the perfect way for anyone and everyone to start their Christmas celebrations.
Grassington Dickensian Christmas Festival
2nd, 3rd, 9th and 10th December 2017
From 11.00 am to 5.00 pm
The picturesque village of Grassington, in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, is transported back in time to a bygone era, as its quaint combination of cobbled streets and unique shops are transformed into a wonderful festive pastiche of Victorian Britain, creating a unique seasonal atmosphere.
The festive ambience in Grassington village will be animated by various shopkeepers and entertainers adorned in Victorian attire. The festival will also feature traditional seasonal aromas of mulled wine, freshly baked mince pies, and roasted chestnuts. A traditional Victorian entertainments programme will also emanate from the village square for the duration of the festival, including a brass band, Christmas Carols sung a number of choral ensembles, and a Punch and Judy show. Children will also have an opportunity to visit Santa Claus in his magical hideaway grotto as well as being invited to participate in the traditional torchlit nativity procession.
We look forward to welcoming you Grassington Dickensian Christmas Festival for what promises to be a wonderful festive celebration for the whole family.
Christkindelmarkt, Leeds
10th November – 24th December
From 10.30 am to 9.30 pm | From 10.30 am to 7.30 pm on Sundays
Located in the award-winning civic setting of Millennium Square, the epicentre of one of Yorkshire’s premier cities, Christkindelmarkt, Leeds remains one of the UK’s most popular and established German markets. The unique combination of bright lights and festive greenery creates a seasonal atmosphere that marks Christkindelmarkt as the highlight of Leeds’s seasonal events calendar.
The market features over forty wooden chalet stalls from authentic German traders providing range of festive gift ideas, and a taste of continental culture to satisfy everyone’s palette, Christkindelmarkt is the perfect way to commence your Christmas countdown and immerse youself in a seasonal cornerstone of European popular culture set in the heart of West Yorkshire.
Stockeld Park Christmas Adventure
1st November 2017 – 8th January 2018 (Santa’s Grotto 11th November – 24th December)
Open daily from 10.30 am to 8.30 pm
Ticket prices start from £8 per person
Welcome to Stockeld Park, where disbelief is suspended and adventures begin.Join us for this year’s Christmas Adventure in magnificent Yorkshire parkland. Set in England’s first illuminated Enchanted Forest, in addition to being the location of the region’s only illuminated yew tree maze, Stockeld Park is a magical place for the whole family and is the perfect way to embrace the Christmas spirit.
From 20th October the Enchanted Forest, nestled deep within the park’s beautiful woodlands, is transformed into a magical Winter wonderland illuminated by thousands of twinkling lights and a selection of seasonal sculptures. Children of all ages may also grasp the opportunity to visit Santa Claus in his Yorkshire Grotto before his annual rooftop tour on the night before Christmas. Framed by the lights of the Enchanted Forest, Stockeld Park’s Winter wonderland also features the frozen surfaces of the sparkling ice skating rink.
Stockeld Park’s Christmas Adventure is a great way for the whole family to immerse themselves in an immersive, seasonal celebration.
Stockeld Park Halloween Adventure
20th – 31st October
Welcome to Stockeld Park – a magical world where disbelief is suspended and adventures begin. Wetherby’s premiere seasonal attraction, Stockeld Park offers an immersive celebration of a number of popular festive occasions and is fun for the whole family.
This year’s Halloween Adventure includes a number of special events to appeal to those with an affinity for shadows and darkness. The crazy scientists from Sublime Science return for Eerie Science Week, offering a weird concoction of brilliant experiments. The Stockeld witches will also be returning to the woodland terrain of the Enchanted Forest. Traverse the labyrinthine pathways of the Magical Maze in search of witches’ colony of bats.
The adrenaline junkies among our visitors are also welcome to start their countdown to Halloween by confronting the variety of scares on offer as part of this year’s Fright Night. Experience the Terror of the Farm House and its disturbingly derelict interiors, or visit The Cabin and experience the depths of the woods in darkness.
Halloween has never been so horrifying. Buy yourself a ticket … if you dare!