Preview: York 50+ Festival has something for everyone
From table tennis in Dunnington to belly dancing in Wigginton, this year’s York 50+ Festival offers something for everyone, as organiser Sue Lister reveals
The ninth York 50+ Festival, presented by the York Older People’s Assembly, is launched with an information fair at the Guildhall and Spurriergate Centre on Thursday, September 12.
No fewer than 115 events have been lined up for the festival, which runs between Saturday, September 28 and Sunday, October 6. The variety is impressive. You can follow York’s bell ringers around the city, take part in discussions on topics like green living, or join a Bake Off and Tea Party in Bishopthorpe.
There’s hanging basket making, the Model Boat Regatta and an open day along the Rivers Ouse and Foss, with many organisers clarifying that “all ages are welcome”. Here are a few more ideas to whet your appetite.
Game for a laugh
Take part in the Eng-AGE 50+ Games in clubs and sports centres around the city. Sports include tennis, volleyball, sailing, pilates, football, carpet bowls and sequence dancing. Not to mention table tennis in Dunnington and bellydancing in Wigginton!
Digital demos
The libraries around town are offering daily workshops like Tackling Facebook, Tweets in Acomb, Tablets – try before you buy, and how to download online library books. If you are a digital age dinosaur, now is your chance to metamorphose into a digital dervish and have some fun in the process!
On the other hand, the library can also help you to soak up the past with a guided walk around the city’s snickelways, or Monica Nelson can take you round the vanished chapels of York.
All well and good
Pressure on the NHS could be eased by local holistic therapists who are offering tasters in chiropractic medicine, the Alexander Technique, Tai Chi, EFT Tapping, self-hypnosis, building self-confidence, Reiki, Tuina reflexology, herbal medicine, and Dru yoga. Could you boost your own wellbeing by trying some of these?
Learn something new
There are workshops for business women, rag ruggers, researching your family history, jam making, coffee making and holidaymakers looking to learn helpful French phrases. You can also your stories of how you came to York and what makes it a special place for you.
Show business
Festival performances include the York 50+ Festival Show at the Theatre Royal (enhanced by a backstage tour and cream tea), You Must Remember This at St Sampson’s Centre, Kiwis in Concert at St Edward’s in Dringhouses, an Evening of Poetry & Prose at All Saints Pavement, and stories from That Battered Suitcase at the Dean Court Hotel.
- The York 50+ Information Fair on Thursday, September 12, sees 30 stands featuring various organisations involved in the festival at Guildhall and the Spurriergate Centre
- The York 50+ Festival takes place across the city from Saturday, September 28 to Sunday, October 6
- A full PDF of the programme is available here