YORK is to become the City Of Festivals. That is the ambitious plan floated earlier this month by a new arts and leisure body, York@Large.

Organisers would co-ordinate a host of cultural events in the city, starting next year. Anyone with ideas, performances or artwork to contribute would be encouraged to come forward.

As long as the native talent and enthusiasm can be harnessed, the City Of Festivals is bound to be a success.

York has a long history of residents throwing themselves into all manner of festivities, either as organisers, performers or spectators.

The first major knees-up of the 20th century was the York Pageant of 1909. It followed a theme familiar to festival organisers before and since: the history of the city.

This was told in several impressive episodes, from primeval Britons through Romans, Saxons and Stuarts.

It was months in the preparation. The costumes were stunning, as this description in the official book of the event confirms.

"The drawings for costume purposes, many outlined in colours, amounted to some hundreds, and comprise, it may be added, a most interesting and indeed authoritative collection of women's gowns and dresses, jewelled trains, brooches, girdles, necklaces, tiaras, buckles, head-dresses and the like; of men's uniforms, breast-plates, helmets, hats, swords, daggers, matchlocks, lances, pennons, powder horns, horse-trappings, and emblems of knighthood."

Huge crowds gathered in Museum Gardens to watch history go by. At the climax came a rousing chorus of the Triumph Song Of York, with the pageant participants parading past in chronological order.

The city of York was personified by a queen on a raised throne.

Roll forward another half century or thereabouts, and we arrive at a merrymaking milestone: the first York Festival.

This event, tied to the post-war celebration Festival Of Britain, was most notable for its revival of the Mystery Plays.

But there was plenty more besides. The city's proud architectural tradition was commemorated with a design competition which led to the building of the York Festival Flats.

During the two-week festival itself, Sir Adrian Boult and Sir John Barbirolli conducted classical concerts at the Rialto, Fishergate. A river festival, brass band contest, Georgian Ball and bicycle polo game were among the other attractions.

Initial fears about the cost were expressed, but it turned out such a tremendous success that a repeat was demanded.

The 1954 York Festival included The Living Past, the name of an exhibition and a nightly performance at the Castle Museum. This became a regular festival event. It was advertised by folk dressed as a Victorian family touring the streets. In the show's finale, boys and girls from Beckfield Lane and Burton Stone Lane schools danced a minuet on the floodlit steps of the museum.

In the atmospheric surroundings of the Merchant Adventurers' Hall audiences listened to recitals of poetry and music.

By contrast, the bombed-out Guildhall provided an unusual setting for the community singing, attended by a large crowd who either stood or sat on the stone flags.

Everyone was catered for. Even patients convalescing at Fairfield Sanatorium were not forgotten: street criers from the festival toured the wards distributing flowers and good cheer.

Serious theatregoers were treated to the first ever production of Bertolt Brecht's drama The Caucasian Chalk Circle at the Theatre Royal, staged by students from London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Youngsters watched the transmission of the BBC Children's Caravan programme, starring Clive Dunn as the show's resident comedian.

And everyone could enjoy the spectacular fireworks display which ended the festival.

York Festivals continued throughout the Sixties, with Morris Men from Leeds returning to put on a show, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra performing Benjamin Britten's War Requiem.

With so many artistic temperaments involved, it was surprising that the festivals remained so free of cultural clashes. But that record ended dramatically in 1966.

Hours before the festival began, its artistic director since 1954, Hans Hess, resigned.

It followed the news that "the chairman of the board of the festival, Coun J Wood, had been organising a counter-festival of popular attractions without informing the Festival Society or the artistic director".

This, added Mr Hess, was "an act of disloyalty to the society and to me".

The day before, the Evening Press revealed Jack Wood's plan to stage "fringe" events "for the 75,000 people in the city who find nothing to enthuse about in the official programme".

To be held at St George's Hall - previously a cinema and now part of Fairfax House - the series of 12 concerts would feature brass bands, songs from the shows, minstrels and magicians. Tickets would be priced between 2s 6d and five shillings.

Mr Hess's resignation prompted an emergency meeting, at which the Festival Society was split. The outcome was that the director, who had said there was "no possibility of his reconsidering his position" agreed to be reinstated. Coun Wood resigned.

If that wasn't bad enough, vandals struck. A steel sculpture on display at King's Manor was broken, and the festival tent at Museum Gardens was burnt out after a fire in the early hours. Witnesses spotted someone fleeing the scene with a petrol can.

The St John Ambulance tent was also damaged, and 200 cushions providing comfort for the audience at Mystery Plays were destroyed.

Despite all this, the show did go on. Plays, jazz concerts, folk dancing and classical music entertained both York folk and visitors.

Meanwhile, fathers and sons were flocking to an industries and hobbies fair at the Railway Institute gymnasium. Model railways and boats were popular, as was a full-sized drag racing car.

Updated: 10:02 Monday, April 19, 2004