Issued by Visit York
The 18th York Residents’ Festival will take place from 26 to 27 January 2013. Organised by Visit York in partnership with the City of York Council, next year’s event promises to give residents of the city access to more free attractions, events and restaurant deals than ever before.
Residents taking part in the 2013 festival will be able to gain free entry to a host of York’s most celebrated attractions with one-off, behind-the-scenes access available at some of the city’s rarest historical landmarks and exhibitions.
With sixteen new attractions and eight new restaurants on board, York residents will have the opportunity to enjoy exclusive access to ninety of the city’s top visitor venues and dining experiences over the two day event. In 2012, over 40,000 visits were made to participating venues and attendance has more than doubled since the event was first conceived.
Initially the brainchild of John Gallery, Chairman of what was then the York Visitor and Convention Bureau, as a thank you for the warm welcome local residents give to York’s millions of global visitors each year, York Residents Festival was the first event of its kind in the UK.
Gillian Cruddas MBE, Chief Executive of Visit York, said: ‘Eighteen years on York Residents Festival has become an example of best tourism practice across Britain. Aside from our world class attractions, it is the people who live in the city that help create an unforgettable visitor experience and it’s so crucial we recognise and acknowledge this’.
2013 highlights
New additions to the programme this year will give local people the opportunity to:
- Join York on The Run and jog your way around York (pre-booking essential)
- Learn how flour is made at Holgate Windmill
- Climb aboard a mini train from Clayton West to Shelley at the Kirklees Light Railway
- Journey beneath the waves to see sharks and rays at the Scarborough SEA LIFE Sanctuary
- Explore the timbered rooms of St William’s College which dates back to the 15th century
- Take guided tours of the St Nicholas Fields Nature Reserve
- Go behind the scenes at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre
- Explore musical talents at a recorder workshop at the National Centre for Early Music
Giving exclusive dining deals, including some two-for-one offers, are some of York’s much loved restaurants. New to the York Residents’ Festival line-up this year are:
- Indian Vibes
- Piccolino
- York Cocoa House
- El Piano
- Filmore and Union
- Gourmet Burger Kitchen
- The Cross Keys
- Black Swan Inn
Cllr Sonja Crisp, Cabinet Member for Tourism, “This annual festival, created exclusively for those who live in the city, is a brilliant way for residents to get first-hand experience of our many award-winning visitor attractions and first class restaurants, some of which they may not have had the opportunity to explore before. We hope that as many local people as possible will take part and enjoy the weekend.”
Pre-booking is required for some of the attractions and guided tours, details of which can be found on the Visit York website at www.visityork.org or by picking up a York Residents’ Festival leaflet from the Visit York Information Centre at 1 Museum Street. Some venues have limited tickets and operate on a first come basis first served basis. Residents need a York Card to gain admission at each venue, available from all of York’s public libraries. YorkCards have a £2.00 admin charge for adults but are free for under 18s.
The YorkCard also entitles free entry to The Castle Museum and The Yorkshire Museum plus discounted entry to York Dungeon (from Easter) as well as Energise and Yearsley Swimming Pools. Make sure you update your Yorkcard in order to take part.
- A full list of all participating attractions and restaurants will be available from early January at the Visit York website
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