Yorkshire Festival 2014 is the first ever arts festival to precede the Tour de France, the world’s biggest annual sporting event
Tour De Cinema
March 27th – July 5th
Pan – Yorkshire
Award winning director Daisy Asquith teams up with cult musician Bill Nelson to create a new film as part of a series of screenings to be shown on 10 outdoor screens in stunning locations across Yorkshire. TOUR DE CINEMA presents fiction and documentary films (including Alan Bennett’s rarely seen BBC film ‘A Day Out’, about a Halifax cycling club; and Jarvis Cocker’s blazing soundtrack for The Big Melt) also in 35 local Town Halls as well as city centre big screens.
Fields of Vision
Workshops: April & May
Installation: June 1st – July 6th
South Pennine
Fields of Vision will comprise of huge, grass-based land art installations in the stunning South Pennine Landscape. It will bring together artists, young farmers, cyclists and the community
Thomas Houseago
End of April – October
Wakefield and Leeds
The YST’s first ever commission: LA-based, Leeds-born artist Thomas Houseago who will create two spectacular sculptures in Leeds city centre and for Yorkshire Sculpture Park for the very first time.
The Tour of Infinite Possibility
Workshops end of April, tours over two weekends:
7th-8th June & 21st-22nd June
Hope & Social will recruit, rehearse and create A Band Anyone Can Join for Yorkshire to play 12 shows in 12 locations (TBC) across the two stages of the race. They will release official festival song The Big Wide for artists and audiences to ‘make their own.
Ghost Peloton
May 16th – May 17th
Leeds
Ghost Peloton is a highly ambitious collaboration between two of the UK’s most respected arts organisations; Phoenix Dance Theatre and acclaimed Scottish public arts charity NVA.
They will create the world’s first ‘Ghost Peloton,’ which will appear on film and see 50 choreographed cyclists in programmed light suits performing in central Leeds.
Bike Story
June 20th-July 5th
Pan Yorkshire
Bike Story is about people and their relationship to the bicycle. Everyone has a bike story and the organisers want to hear yours. The ups and downs of cycling, the traumas as well as the triumphs. Mike Kenny and Martin Riley will weave a selection of these into a very special outdoor performance that will visit locations across the county, thrilling and entertaining audiences of all ages
Hypervelocity
July 2nd – 6th
Kirklees
Hypervelocity will use the streets of Huddersfield through to Holmfirth and Holme Moss as a giant canvas on which to display the most amazing creativity with performances and installations by international and regional artists and local communities. Watch out also for mysterious goings on in St George’s Square!
Bonjour! Film your Tour competition
Film shown at various locations and dates
Sustrans will run a county-wide competition in schools for a chance to be part of a short film explaining what the Tour de France is. Six winning schools will be selected to film six winning videos to professional quality which will form one overarching film.
Cheer Sing
Workshops: March – June
Cheering: July 5&6
Pan Yorkshire
Cheer-Sing workshops will teach communities along the route to devise, lead and perform their own chant-songs and clapping-raps, raising a mighty wave of support for the racers.
DepARTures
March 27th
Pan Yorkshire
CapeUK will enable all schools in the Yorkshire and Humber region to engage with Yorkshire Festival 2014 through 15 downloadable resources. Resources will support schools to find exciting ways to link to the Festival and encourage more young people to experience world class art and culture in Yorkshire.
Kes
March 27th – April 5th
Crucible Theatre, Sheffield
A world première of a new dance-theatre adaptation of a much-loved Yorkshire story – Kes
The Sheffield Steel Peloton
March 27th– June 28th
Sheffield
The Sheffield Steel Peloton invites local artists and public to discover Sheffield’s finest export - Steel. Raw material of iron ore will be sourced from the ground in Sheffield (something not done for hundreds of years), smelted and sculpted to produce a unique one off bike head post badge designed by a Sheffield based illustrator to celebrate the Grand Départ.
A Taste of Honey
March 27th – 19th April (Press night 1 April)
Hull / Doncaster / Scarborough
Directorial debut at Hull Truck of new Artistic Director Mark Babych in Shelagh Delaney’s classic set in Salford.
The production will move from Hull to the Cast Doncaster May 13 – 17 and then SJT Scarborough May 20 -24.
True Grit Digital Poetry
March 27th – May
The True Grit Cycle uses the vibrant, engaging form of performance poetry to hear the direct, honest, imaginative voices of Yorkshire people speaking in their own communities and landscapes
Tutti frutti productions and York Theatre Royal
April – June
Pan Yorkshire
Monday’s Child by award winning writer Brendan Murray, for children aged 3+ and their families. A simple poetic story of the unique bond between a grandmother and a child.
Wu Chi-Tsung – Dust
4th April – 31st May
Sheffield
Site Gallery presents two interactive installations by the Taiwanese artist, rising star Wu Chi-Tsung. Crystal City 003 and Dust make use of everyday materials, plastic boxes, lights and dust, to create meditative dream worlds. This is the first chance for UK audiences to see Dust, which was produced by Site Gallery in 2006 and shown later that year at the Shanghai Biennial. It captures the shadows of tiny dust particles as they spiral around the audience to make a mesmerising abstract projection.
The Grand Departs
April 5th
Starting from 12 noon
Mytholmroyd, Calderdale
Music and cycling challenge to test how many cyclists it takes to pull a grand piano up one of the longest continuous ascents in England. A range of pianists, professional and amateur, are being invited to play a specially composed piece of music as a team of cyclists attempt the arduous task. Spectators and supporters are invited to join in a send-off event and cheer the team on.
Ursula von Rydingsvard
April 5th – Jan 2015
Wakefield
Major exhibition of sculpture by Ursula von Rydingsvard. The exhibition is the highly acclaimed American artist’s first large-scale survey in Europe and will premiere new, large-scale work.
Theatre Tol, Spirit Festival
April 12th, 8pm
Dewsbury
Theater Tol’s Luce (Belgium): Inspired by the struggle between the mutually antagonistic Italian cyclists Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali and set in the 40s and 50s, Luce tells of their rivalry. It’s a battle on two wheels and a passionate love story with cinematic images, songs, dance, secret love letters, Luce end in a spectacular aerial show.
National Student Drama Festival – Sunday Times
April 12th – 18th
Scarborough
The National Student Drama Festival is a Yorkshire institution. It draws hundreds of rising stars – actors, writers, directors, technicians and producers from across the UK.
Art and Yorkshire: Turner to Hockney
April 12th – Oct 12th
Harrogate
Art and Yorkshire
From Turner to Hockney, this is an exhibition of historic, modern and contemporary visual art that defines the spirit of Yorkshire.
From Versailles to Yorkshire: Sevrès and Moore at Harewood
From April 18th – November 2nd
In 2014 Harewood’s House and grounds plays host to a stunning display of works by French and British masters and contemporary artists: from the iconic sculptures of that quintessentially Yorkshire son Henry Moore to a tiny, exquisite tea set owned by the extravagant, ill-fated Queen Marie Antoinette of France.
The Fantastical Bike Parade
April 26th
Todmorden
A parade through Todmorden of fantastical bicycle creatures preceded by participatory workshops.
Poised (2012)
May 10th – June 29th
Hull
The Ferens Art Gallery will work with Film and Video Umbrella and the artist Dryden Goodwin to present an existing video installation, ‘Poised’ (2012), in a new context whilst involving and inspiring local communities to produce their own creative responses to the exhibition.
Graham Watson exhibition
May 15th – August
Leeds
Exhibition of photographs by world renowned and respected cycling photographer, Graham Watson who has photographed the TdF from 1982 to present. Working in partnership with Rouler Magazine, White Cloth Gallery will also be exhibiting the work of Bernard Thompson - a photographer who concentrated on cycling from the early 60’s through to the mid 80’s.
Bike Show
May 16th – July 12th
Barnsley
Exhibition BIKE SHOW will show the influence of cycling culture on contemporary design. From technological advancements, to bikes made of sustainable materials to how to avoid bike theft, the exhibition will also examine the spectacle of the TdF –its history, its language and some Yorkshire riders who have ridden it.
I Fagiolini
May 23rd
Beverley
I Fagiolini brings to life the music, mayhem, political intrigue and comic entertainment of Venice at Carnival through the music of Banchiere, Monteverdi, Gabrielli and Vecchi’s madrigal comedy L’Amfiparnaso.
The Hunt
May 26th – June 30th
Pan Yorkshire
Treasure Hunt around Yorkshire, beginning with four mini hunts. Clues at these four events lead to a final hunt at an undisclosed location. At each location, Frolicked’s distinctive puppets will make appearances, helping to guide hunters towards the prize.
The Last Train to Scarborough
May 30th – June 14th
Scarborough
This stage adaptation of Andrew Martin’s 2009 novel will be a world premiere presented in association with the National Railway Museum in York and adapated and directed by Chris Monks.
Carnival Bentham by Bike
May 31st
Bentham, Craven
A trail of public artwork will be created at the Bentham Passing Place, a circular detour off the Way of the Roses cycle route. It is the first time Bentham havs engaged with a public art project and artworks will be in place by summer.
Yorkshire in Yellow
31st May - 7th Sept
Millennium Gallery, Sheffield
Yorkshire in Yellow invites contemporary artists, designers, and creatives with a Yorkshire connection to design a tribute to the Tour’s famous yellow jersey using yellow t-shirts as their canvas. These unique designs will be brought together to form a striking new display in the Millennium Gallery’s main thoroughfare.
Cold Bath Slow Art
June 7th-8th, June 14th-15th, July 5th-6th
Harrogate
To create celebrations on Cold Bath Road which engages with the community and celebrates the Tour de France in Harrogate, whilst simultaneously drawing attention to the benefits of sustainable transport
Le Grand Voyage
June 6th-7th and July 5th-6th
Harrogate Theatre
An unforgettable theatrical experience throwing participants into the beating heart of the Grand Départ in a way like no other. This touring virtual reality bicycle ride, in which the participating cyclist gets to be a rider in an unusual version of the Tour de France, features the Yorkshire landscape - and more far-flung places. Created in collaboration with Il Pixel Rosso.
North Yorkshire Open Studios
June 7th-8th, June 14th-15th
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire Open Studios is in its tenth year and has grown to become one of the major events in North Yorkshire’s cultural calendar. Professional artists open their studios to the public over two weekends and offer workshops, exhibitions, geocaching trails and arts walks.
Götterdämmerung
June 14th, June 18th and July 12th
Leeds
Opera North is celebrating the Grand Départ as part of Yorkshire Festival 2014 with the final part of an exhilarating journey of its own. Götterdämmerung, or Twilight of the Gods, is the last opera of Wagner’s epic Ring Cycle which will come to a conclusion just before the biggest cycle in sport takes off from Leeds.
Tour de Force Bicycle Orchestra
June 20th – June 21st
Huddersfield
Join hcmf// at workshops designed to take recycling to a new dimension by building musical instruments from bike parts. hcmf// will help you explore your bicycle’s tuneful possibilities and discover new sounds and music. Once made, you’ll play bicycle music with the rest of your orchestra.
Wish you were here
21st June
Grassington, North Yorkshire
Wish You Were Here is an opportunity for seven communities in North Yorkshire to celebrate what’s truly special about their area by writing and performing their own original songs, aided by a great team of musicians drawn from NYMAZ’s experienced delivery partners.
Tour de Brass
June 21st and 22nd
Pan Yorkshire
TOUR DE BRASS is a weekend of brass-band concerts taking place across Yorkshire in locations along the two stages of the Grand Depart, culminating in a grand finale in York on the Sunday night with the Tour de Brass Yorkshire Prom concert performed by the world-famous Black Dyke Band.
Details about bands and locations will be on the Yorkshire Festival website and www.brassedon.org
The Really Big Sing
June 24th
Scarborough OAT, North Yorkshire
The Really Big Sing is offered to every school in North Yorkshire, culminating in ‘A Really Big Sing’ performance of the songs with up to 6,000 pupils and staff at the Open Air Theatre in Scarborough – bringing the Tour De France Cultural Festival to the Coast.
Bicyclism
June 24th – July 7th
Leeds City Museum, Millennium Square
Bicyclism is an exhibition, website, performance and publication about the people in and around Leeds that inhabit cycling, its history and its popular culture. The project will be curated, created and delivered by Leeds based artists, writer and musician Boff Whalley and photographer Casey Orr.
Lost Boy Racer
June 25th – 27th
Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield
LOST BOY RACER is a quirky northern comedy-drama with a touch of blood-sweat-and-tears, a large dose of cycling wisdom lubricated with fun and farce, with some off-the-wall dance and bike antics and a love story of sorts.
The production will feature a special set made of bike parts from sculptor Tim Tolkien.
Bicycle with Barefoot
June 27th -28th
Halifax
A small scale dance show combining Indian dance with the creation of a bicycle painting, shared with the audience at the end of the performance at Eureka!
Beryl by Maxine Peake
June 30th - July 19th
Leeds
Beryl Burton was one of the greatest cyclists the world has ever seen. She was born less than 3 miles from West Yorkshire Playhouse and trained with Morley Cycling Club. Originally written for radio, TV star Maxine Peake has adapted her own script for the theatre.
Cart before Horse
June 30th – July 6th
Pan Yorkshire
Cart before Horse is a powerful new contemporary circus performance which will be created especially for
Le Grand Départ. It will include workshop activity around trick cycling and other circus skills and a piece which tours outdoors in six shows across Yorkshire.
The Woolly Bike Trail
July 1st – 31st
Cassandra Kilbride is a prolific yarn-stormer. For the Grand Départ, Cassandra is creating ten woolly bikes based on familiar Yorkshire themes, from woollen mills to whippets. Follow
her thread between locations, or take
part in a free workshop.
Festival of Colour Light and Space
July 3rd – 6th
Sheffield
In its centenary year, Sheffield Cathedral will be working with Eye Music Trust and Yorkshire artists to undertake a creative outreach programme that will culminate in a 5 day creative showcase within the stunning. Colourscape arts installation on the Cathedral forecourt, inspired by the visit of the Tour de France to Yorkshire.
Bell Ringers Herald Cyclists
July 5th & 6th
Around TdF routes
Church bells across Yorkshire will welcome Le Tour with traditional English change ringing. As well as ringing bells on the route as the cyclists approach, ringers from around the country will be invited to join in a Festival of Ringing as part of the 100 day cultural event.
Visit www.yorkshirefestival.co.uk, Yorkshire Festival on Facebook or follow Yorkshire Festival 2014 on Twitter - @YFest2014
