The celebration of classical music, Ryedale Festival, achieved record-breaking success this summer.
The annual festival aims each year to make North Yorkshire ‘one of the best places in Europe to enjoy and encounter classical music’ – and in 2024 recorded its highest ever ticket sales, 15% up on its previous record set in 2023.
This year’s event featured 60 events in 35 historic locations throughout the county, and expanded into new areas for 2024 like Selby and Scarborough.
The festival received a grant of £90k from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, administered through North Yorkshire Council.
Many of the concerts in the programme sold out, and this year 15% of its audiences reported being first-timer attendees.
To assess the impact of the festival on the region, organisers commissioned an independent survey and economic impact assessment by MKA Economics.
Its findings led with the festival’s delivery of a total net economic impact on the area of £1,483, 557, supporting 20 local tourism-related jobs. In addition, the festival helped to retain £1,275,171 within the North Yorkshire economy.
A further £354,000 of local investment was generated by hosting the event, including ticket sales, venue hire, salaries and partnerships.
Artistic director, Christopher Glynn, said: “The impact of the festival feels very real and immediate when we are surrounded by the hundreds of enthusiastic people who together make it happen.
“But it’s also important we capture evidence of this impact in a way that can be shared with funders, partners and sponsors, to demonstrate the wider benefits of their support.
“As we look to develop the scale and breadth of the festival’s presence across the region, this survey provides evidence of its economic value beyond the inspiring and enriching musical experiences we share with audiences every July.”
For Ryedale Festival 2024 headline performers included Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Angela Hewitt, Dame Sheila Hancock and Tenebrae, while a Community Song Cycle Across the Whinny Moor brought together hundreds of local people of all ages in a creative and inspiring performance.
It will return next year with a series of spring concerts which will be announced soon, and the Summer Festival which will run from 11-27 July 2025 across North Yorkshire.
Find out more about the Ryedale Festival here.