Ey up, Yorkshire Day is nearly here!
The day celebrating the spirit of Yorkshire is tomorrow – Thursday 1 August – with a series of activities and events taking place in York all weekend.
Yorkshire Day was first celebrated in 1975, by the Yorkshire Ridings Society, and became an official event in 1985.
The host city for the civic celebration changes annually across the region – and this year it’s back in York.
As York is the host city for 2024, the celebration on Thursday will follow the traditional format of events – including a thanksgiving service, a street parade of dignitaries and guests, and a formal lunch.
As is tradition, members of the Yorkshire Ridings Society will be meeting at Micklegate Bar at 11.15am on Thursday to mark the occasion with a reading of the Yorkshire Declaration of Integrity. They will also be reading the declaration at Bootham Bar and Monk Bar.
Speaking ahead of the event, councillor Claire Douglas, leader of City of York Council, said: “We’re delighted to be hosting Yorkshire Day here in the county’s traditional capital, and the opportunity to demonstrate the core commitments we have made as a city to the people of York.
“Yorkshire Day in York gives us a great chance not only to highlight our Equalities, Affordability, Climate and Health (EACH) principles, but to demonstrate how our civic roles and responsibilities evolve and modernise over time.
“We look forward to showing the best of our city to those visiting us from right across Yorkshire.”
Elsewhere in and around the city are a fun series of events for everyone to get involved in.
On Parliament Street there will be Four Days of Yorkshire Artisan Market from Thursday 1 to Sunday 4 August. Run by Little Bird Artisan Markets and open daily from 10am to 5pm, there will be a whole host of local traders to browse through.
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York Maze are celebrating the occasion with a Yorkshire Pudding tossing competition, followed by a grand finale of superhero Yorkshire-Man jumping into a giant Yorkshire Pudding filled with gravy.
York City are holding a Yorkshire Day open training session. Admission is £1 – you can buy tickets here.
The session on the pitch will be accompanied by music playing, pitch-side interviews with players and staff and a 50/50 draw. Junior Reds can get in early, otherwise gates open at the LNER Community Stadium at 12.30pm, the session starts at 1.15pm and the open day concludes at 3pm.
York Minster are hosting a Service of Prayer and Thanksgiving from 11am, which will feature music from the York Philharmonic Male Voice Choir and a procession with a flag presented at the Altar by Cadets.
If you’re going out for the day, why not head over to Beningbrough where they’ll be hosting local suppliers showcasing their skills all day at the venue’s stables shop area.
Visit York are also giving away some fantastic Yorkshire-themed prizes every day until Sunday.
Every day is a great day to be Yorkshire – so don’t miss out on celebrating it this week.