A FULL programme of events has been announced for a new festival in York - which will bring more than 30 local performers and organisations together.

Organised by Make It York, with support from the City of York Council’s ARG funding, the programme of events for YorkLife Festival has been curated with York residents in mind, supporting local talent across the city and bringing the festival feel to York this spring.

The weekend will showcase a programme of family friendly workshops, as well as line-up of musical performances from the likes of The Howl and The Hum, Huge, Kitty VR, Bull and Wounded Bear.

Sarah Loftus, managing director at Make It York said: “YorkLife is a celebration of local York talent and culture, from our street musicians to our local community groups. We want to really celebrate the sense of community in York and we’re encouraging residents to come join the party and see some of the hottest talent York has to offer.”

The main stage for the festival will be located in Parliament Street, with an open viewing area that holds a capacity of 500 people. The workshop and performance tent will be located at the end of Parliament Street, near St Sampson’s Square, and can hold up to 100 capacity. There will also be a covered stretch tent, which will hold a York Gin bar and seating area. The stretch tent holds a further 90 people, on a one-in-one-out policy.

There will be a full schedule of workshops throughout the weekend, from theatre to music. On Saturday April 2, there will be workshops including Drumming with Mark Barfoot, Storytelling with Mud Pie Arts, Thunk-it Theatre, The JORVIK Viking Takeover and Burning Duck Comedy Club.

Meanwhile, on Sunday April 3, there will be York Wire Skylines with Gemma, a Ukulele Workshop with Christian Topman, York Festival of Ideas, Say Owt Poetry Workshop and Beatboxing with Matty Groove.

There will also be all-day face painting across the weekend with Fantastic Faces. A range of 'Circus Workshops’ are also taking place throughout the weekend, including fun skill-building challenges such as unicycling, juggling and various other fun circus skills.

Councillor Darryl Smalley, executive member for culture, leisure and communities at City of York Council, said: “YorkLife is an excellent way to celebrate our home-grown musicians and performers, particularly after what have been a challenging few years for us all. I would encourage residents to join and enjoy the best of York’s own local talent.”

YorkLife is organised by Make It York, with support from the City of York Council’s ARG funding - which aims to support businesses impacted by Covid-19.

Further details can be found on the festival website.