Six ways to join the Tour de France party

 

Want to throw yourself into the cycling spirit? There’s a fleet of pedal-powered pleasures to be had this special weekend

Bishophill Velocipede Festival

Bishophill will go bike bananas this weekend as it starts its tour celebrations with the Velocipede Festival.

There will be a mini real-ale festival, a have-a-go unicycle and a display of weird and wonderful bikes. Twelve great local bands are to be amplified through a pedal powered sound system – the harder you pedal the louder it gets!

You can print a poster on the mobile tricycle letterpress or make a souvenir on the bike-powered blacksmith’s forge.

Saturday and Sunday, July 5-6, 2-8pm

See also

• On Yer Bike – saddle up and ride the Solar System Way with a festival of music, art and poetry along Route 65 of the National Cycle Network – home of the scale model of the Solar System: 1pm-7pm, Sunday
• Crazy Rescued Bikes – join the Bike Rescue Project next to Lendal Bridge on Saturday for an extraordinary bike display and family activities, decorating bikes and making ‘steampunk’ jewellery

J’Adore Bishy Rue

Join St Nicks with their pedal-powered smoothie-maker, and the businesses of Bishopthorpe Road as they put on a family-friendly party for anyone and everyone.

Expect about 40 stalls, many manned by traders in French-inspired costume, and a children’s fancy dress competition.

The party will feature music, food and children’s entertainment throughout the day, while the street remains closed until 7pm.

Sunday, July 6, 12-7pm

Live screening and twilight cinema

Those film fanatics from Orillo are hosting a Yorkshire Garden Party in the beautiful Museum Gardens on Sunday.

Gates open at 9.30am. You can watch the race live on a six metre long LED screen and chill out in canvas teepees, eating frozen yoghurt.

At 4pm there’s live music from local artists, the barbecue is lit at 6pm and at 8pm the bar opens and the film screening begins on the open-air cinema.

The movie is the Robin Williams’ fantasy Jumanji (1995, cert PG). It finishes at 10pm. More music follows before the park closes at 11.30pm.

Tickets are £7 available here, or available on the door via a one-in, one-out system.

Children under 12 go free.

Tour de York Dungeons

Le Tour is barrelling straight past York Dungeons this weekend, so dive into the fun with new characters Froome and Cavendish, two fiendish Jesters out to cause mischief and mayhem for all the family.

Along with the tricksters, Eric Bloodaxe, Guy Fawkes and 2,000 years of York’s history await you beyond those doors. Usual ticket prices apply.

Sun, July 6, 10.30am-4.30pm

NRM celebrate Le Tour

Hands on fun at the National Railway Museum this Sunday, with a kid-friendly day of rail bike demonstrations, beautiful locomotives and live coverage of the race.

Free to attend and plenty of things to do – and under cover if it’s raining.

Saturday, July 5 and Sunday, July 6, 10.30am-4.30pm

See also

• The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight – making three passes over the city centre on Sunday morning with an RAF Lancaster Bomber accompanied by a Spitfire and Hurricane fighter

Le Grand Festival De Rue

Enjoy a weekend of unique and quirky street entertainment and performance art around the city centre streets of York.

Look out for street artists, face painting, stilt walkers, buskers, live music and plenty of balloons!
Highlights include specially commissioned street performances by Riding Lights Theatre on Sunday, July 6 including the smallest theatre in the world…

See also

• Boulevard St Leonard’s with its themed pavement cafés, French decoration and music – until Tuesday, June 8
• Le Grand Laser Dome – a large dome featuring French music and laser light show on Tower Street all weekend