Live music, storytelling, comedy and quizzes are on the agenda for a new festival this weekend.
The inauguration YorkLife Festival will see more than 30 local artists and organizations come together on Parliament Street to Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 April.
And you can even see the legendary YorkMix Radio breakfast show gambling wheel in action – with presenters Ben and Laura ready to offer great prizes!
Organized by Make It York, with the support of post-pandemic funding from York City Council, the weekend will feature a program of family-friendly workshops, as well as a stellar line-up of musical performances such as The howl and the hum.
So here’s what happens…
Workshops and quizzes
saturday april 2
- 11.00 – 11.45: Drumming with Mark Barfoot–[EB1] A fun and inclusive drumming session for kids and families using a mix of djembe and hand drumming.
- 12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.: Storytelling with Mud Pie Arts – Meet Jenna, author of Cloud Tales, as you hear tales of lonely dragons and desperate dogs mixed with lots of fun dress-up and improv activities.
- 1:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.: Thunk-it Theater – Explore the process of creating your own dream city through drama, song and crafts, perfect for anyone aged 4-11.
- 2:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.: York Wire Skylines with Gemma Wood York – Join York-based visual artist Gemma Wood as you are immersed and transformed in the depths of your curiosity.
- 3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.: Quiz YorkMix – Ben and Laura will be bringing their much-loved game wheel live to YorkLife, giving you a chance to win some amazing prizes.
- 4:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.: Pauline Quirke Performing Arts Academy – A fun introductory session for budding young singers, dancers, actors or filmmakers in this PQA session.
- 5:00 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.: The takeover of JORVIK Viking – A 45-minute interactive presentation on various aspects of Viking life in the 10and century.
- 6:15 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.: Burning Duck Comedy Club presents –Coming out of The Crescent, Burning Duck Comedy brings you 90 consecutive minutes of live comedy.
Sunday April 3
- 11:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.: York Wire Skylines with Gemma Wood – Join York-based visual artist Gemma Wood as you are immersed and transformed in the depths of your curiosity.
- 12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.: Ukulele workshop with christian topman – Join Christian Topman[EB1] [LF2] co-founder of the barge arts project and bassist, to learn how to play fun tunes on the ukulele.
- 1:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.: Thunk-It Theater – Explore the process of creating your own dream city through drama, song and crafts, perfect for anyone aged 4-11.
- 2:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. York Festival of Ideas – Prepare to be inspired as you catch a glimpse of the York Festival of Ideas, one of the largest free festivals of its kind in the UK. From mind reading to crime and punishment, and from bass guitar to plasma, don’t miss a range of interactive lectures.
- 3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.: Say Owt poetry workshop –Meet Henry Raby, a York-based performance poet, as he teaches you how to make fast, fun poetry and get smarter with your words.
- 4:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.: Beatboxing with Matty Groove – In this exclusive workshop, Matty will share his knowledge and secret techniques in the unusual art of beatboxing.
- 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. – Magician and London card reader, Chris Wall – Let yourself be surprised by a 60-minute performance by Chris Wall and his mental reading magic!
- 6:15 p.m. – 7:45 p.m.: Say Owt consecutive performances – Say Owt presents a back-to-back poetic slam from their collective of “Northern Jester Poets”.
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live music
saturday april 2
2:30 p.m. – Marnie Glum
3:30 p.m. – Pennine Suite
4:30 p.m. – Injured bear
5:30 p.m. – Flatcap Carnival
6:30 p.m. – Kitty VR
7:30 p.m. – Huge
Sunday April 3
3 p.m. – Bargestra
4 p.m. – Floral motif
5 p.m. – Hyde Family Jam
6 p.m. – Trueman and the indoor league
7 p.m. – Taurus
8 p.m. – The Howl and the Buzz
All the details about the VisitYork website.
