Ten Things to do in the Harrogate area

Discover what you could do this week, in and around Harrogate, Ripon, and Wetherby.

2. Commemoration tours, Stonefall Cemetery, Harrogate, Saturday June 8, 11am, 1 and 3pm. To mark the 75th anniversary of death of more than 500 air force personnel buried at Stonefall Cemetery, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is organising guided tours of the site to share the work of the Commission and the stories of the men and women stories, including D-Day pilots, who gave their lives.

3. Wetherby Light Music Singers concert, The Engine Shed, Wetherby, Thursday June 6, 7.30pm. A selection of songs to raise money for Martin House Hospice. Tickets, £6, from 07779899015.

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4. Romeo and Juliet live from the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, broadcast live on Tuesday June 11, Everyman, and Odeon, Harrogate, and Wetherby Film Theatre, 7.15pm and Odeon, Sunday June 16, 2pm. Royal Ballet Principal dancers Matthew Ball and Yasmine Naghdi dance the young lovers Romeo and Juliet in Kenneth MacMillan’s 20th-century balletic reworking of Shakespeare’s great romantic play, set in 16th-century Verona.

Commonwealth War Graves at Stonefall Cemetery in Harrogate. Picture Tony Johnson.Commonwealth War Graves at Stonefall Cemetery in Harrogate. Picture Tony Johnson.
Commonwealth War Graves at Stonefall Cemetery in Harrogate. Picture Tony Johnson.

5. Great Knaresborough Bed Race, Saturday June 8, 9am onwards. Teams will gather from 9-11am in the grounds of the Castle before the race starts. There will be fancy dress judging and parade before the race starts at 3pm. The 2.4 mile course takes them through parkland at Conyngham Hall, along Waterside and through the Nidd Gorge, before the steep climb to the Castle and Market Place.

6. Bed Fest, Henshaws Arts and Crafts Centre, Knaresborough, Saturday June 8, noon. Now in its seventh year, Bed Fest is a 12-hour feast of live music that accompanies the Bed Race in Knaresborough. The family friendly festival has four stages of music, craft stalls and activities.

7. Rock up and Sing, finale concert, Harrogate Convention Centre, Saturday June 8, 2 and 7.30pm. For the past 10 years Rock Up and Sing! have enjoyed sell out concerts in Barcelona, Budapest, Prague, New York and the UK, and have raised £36,000 for charitiesy. But it is finishing with a Finale Concert showcasing a selection from their vast repertoire, including songs from Queen, U2, Meat Loaf and Coldplay.

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8. Pateley Bridge Artisan Market, Nidderdale Show Ground, Sunday June 9, 10am. Over 40 traders offering crafts, art, furniture, clothing, flowers, fresh food, street food and lots of local goods will be featured. There will also be live music.

9. North Yorkshire Open Studios, Saturday and Sunday June 8 and 9, 10am-5pm. Discover art from 101 artists at their studios in inspirational locations. Visitors to Harrogate-based potter Anna Whitehouse studio will be able to see range of pieces created for a recent project, during which she created 100 bottles, each named after something that happened that particular day. Contemporary jewellery designed and made by rural artisan Alice Clarke, based near Brimham Rocks. David Beresford, near Weeton, has left his previous career in TV to focus on painting. Visit www.nyos.org.uk

10. Homes and Garden Fair, The Showfield, Ripley Castle, June 13-14, 9.30am. Quality homes, garden, food and gift companies selling original and stylish products will be selling their wares from decorative accessories, soft furnishings, outdoor furniture and plants to vintage homewares, gifts, ceramics, unusual food and drink, fashion, jewellery, health and beauty, children’s products and art. Held in a luxury marquee on the Showfield at Ripley Castle, there will also be a restaurant on site, food hall and free parking.