Yorkshire Festival of Stories is now live

This amazing festival is packed with interetsing and entertaining acts throughout August and they are all free to watch online.

At a time when our experiences are limited, Yorkshire Festival of Story will offer audiences the chance to use stories to escape, to gain new perspectives and get active. With Guest Festival Director Joanne Harris MBE, Yorkshire Festival of Story will take place online across August 2020. With over 80 events, this diverse, immersive programme is all free.

2020 marks 10 years since Settle Stories started producing a festival in one of the most rural parts of the UK, Settle, Yorkshire Dales. The global pandemic has not stopped festival organisers from delivering their most ambitious programme to date. Across multiple online platforms, the festival will reach larger audiences than ever before with its free programme.

Yorkshire Festival of Story will celebrate the best voices from Yorkshire and beyond. Audiences will be invited to have breakfast with Radio 4 Woman's Hour Presenter Dame Jenni Murray . Amanda Owen, the Yorkshire Shepherdess will deliver a talk live from her farm and Booker-Prize winner, Ben Okri OBE, will be introducing his new collection of short-stories.

Attendees are invited to learn new skills in storytelling, chocolate making and other workshops. Contemporary theatre has been reimagined to fit the digital stage as the festival offers new perspectives on today’s world. Yorkshire’s rich heritage will be celebrated as the Brontë Society explores the fierce brilliance of Anne Bronte in her bicentenary year. The festival will also mark the 150th anniversary of the Ribblehead Viaduct with new artists commissions, interactive events and talks.

Family activities run throughout the festival. Children can join Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize winner, Kevin Crossley-Holland, for folktales. Families will help Get Lost and Found rediscover the magic of Roald Dahl's words and Rotherham’s Grimm & Co will get children creative with writing workshops.  Joanne Harris, MBE, commented  “As Festival Guest Director, I’m so excited to share this diverse programme, including my own events, and invite you to have fun with us this August.”

Festival organisers would like to thank their Premium Sponsor Aunt Bessie’s and main funders Arts
Council England, National Lottery Heritage Fund and other supporters for all their support.

The full Yorkshire Festival of Story programme is now available at: www.yorkshirefestivalofstory.com .

Schedule your August to be artistic and colourful with this storytelling festival that is free and available online
everywhere.