Harrogate International Festivals
Harrogate International Festivals (HIF) is Yorkshire's longest running arts festival and a registered charity that puts on festivals and events supported by a year-round programme of arts and cultural activities for young people and communities across the north of England. Festivals include the Harrogate Music Festival, Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, Harrogate International Spring Series, Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival, Harrogate History Festival and a programme of outreach and new programmes under the banner of HIF+ including the Spiegeltent and Children’s Festival programmes. HIF also runs a broad programme of community outreach under the HIF+ programme including literacy, music and arts programmes for young people and communities with least access to the arts due to rural isolation, geographical location or social exclusion.
History
The Harrogate International Festival was set up in response to local demand to re-establish the quality of event that people had been used to between the wars in the town’s spa heyday. In 1966, with the help of composer Benjamin Britten and singer Peter Pears of Aldeburgh Festival fame, and financial support from Harrogate Borough Council and the Arts Council of England, Clive Wilson launched the Festival and became its first Director. In artistic terms the Festival has changed radically from its origins in the late sixties. The Festival dates (originally in mid-August) were chosen as they had to fit into the town’s conference & exhibition calendar (the summer gap after Gift Fair and before Carpet Fair). In its early days the Festival featured music, literature, drama, visual arts and science. However, over the following decades music came to the fore, making up around 90% of the programme.
In 1984 following a national Arts Council strategy review entitled “The Glory of the Garden” funding was withdrawn from all festivals north of Cheltenham. Up to that point Harrogate had received a guarantee against loss of £38,000, the biggest Arts Council grant of any festival in England. The loss of the grant demanded a more populist approach to programming in order to build ticket revenue and to enable the major scaling up of corporate sponsorship.
In 1991 it was recognised that a broadening of the artistic programme was needed to extend the audience reach - geographically and the under 55s - as well as by genre and to increase sponsorship, trust funding and box office revenue, in order for the Festival to grow. An incremental expansion of the performing arts programming commenced initially with jazz, contemporary dance and classical ballet, World Music and literature.
Over the last 12 months the Festivals have staged over 300 distinct events and attracted over 90,000 people to its activities. Alongside box office sales they rely on sponsorship, grants and charitable giving.
The current Chairman of the Trustees is Fiona Movley, she has background in communications and fundraising. This is voluntary position. Previous Chairman include Peter Blackburn CBE and Clive Leach CBE.
Current Festivals
Harrogate Music Festival
Harrogate Music Festival – July International arts festival taking place throughout July.[1]
Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival
Currently held at The Old Swan Hotel dates for 2015 are Thursday 16 July – Sunday 19 July. The 2014 Festival sold 13,500 tickets. As the opening for the festival the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award winner is announced.[2]
Raworths Harrogate Literature Festival
Launched in 2012.
Spring Sunday Series
The Spring Sunday Series concerts, launched in 1993, are held between January and April. All concerts are held in the beautiful surroundings of the Old Swan Hotel.
Children’s Festival
A unique Children’s Festival featuring arts, music, science and literature that takes place during May and June.
Harrogate History Festival
The Harrogate History Festival was formed in 2013, celebrating the authors and genre of historical writing.
HIF+ Events
A year-round programme of events and engagement including Salon North and a wide-ranging programme of community engagement, creative learning and advocacy presented for a broad range of audiences.
Berwins Salon North
The format consists of an evening of three speakers, each given 30 minutes to engage the audience with their subject, interspersed with intervals allowing time for a swift half.
Spiegeltent
A Spiegeltent is a unique venue used to extend programmes and audiences.
Musical Mums
Weekly singing project for teenage parents and their babies, using music as a means of encouraging positive activity between mothers and babies.
Musical Villages
Half-term world music delivery across the rural areas of the District, targeted at mono-cultural and rural areas.
Big Read
The Big Read project increases links across the region between libraries and reading groups, creating new readers.
Little Read
Working with schools; providing support, training and opportunities to meet authors to support the National Curriculum & increase engagement in literacy with young people.
Young Musicians in Residence
A programme of activity featuring live performance in unusual and unexpected places. Working with local, young musicians and creating a platform for performance
Big Screen
Big Screen set on Montpellier Hill offering a selection of family friendly free events showing Hollywood Blockbuster, family movies, and live sport spectaculars including Wimbledon Men’s Final.
References
- ↑ "Harrogate International Festivals 2013 portfolio announced". Harrogate Informer.
- ↑ "WH Smith partners with the Harrogate International Festivals". Harrogate Informer.