Exciting new festival in Knaresborough showcases town for UCI Road World Championships

The festival will be held on the last weekend in September to coincide with the final weekend of UCI races.

'Anger' over Harrogate MP's backing for suspending ParliamentKnaresborough Autumnfest, which has been organised by Renaissance Knaresborough, will take place from Friday, September 27 to Sunday, September 29.

The aim of Autumnfest is to bring the local community and tourists into the town to celebrate Knaresborough past and present. It will bring historic places to life such as Knaresborough Castle, St Robert’s Cave and the Chapel of the Lady of the Crag through music, art, drama and dance.

A big screen will show the cycle race in the Market Place, complemented by a wide range of activities taking place all over the town. The project has three main themes – heritage, nature and well being, and sustainability. Autumnfest aims to showcase the town’s unique and rich history, celebrate local talent and leave a legacy for a sustainable future.

This is how the 15 secondary schools in the Harrogate district were rated in their last OFSTED inspectionsRenaissance Knaresborough has now received a grant for £10,000 from Awards for All for this year’s first festival.

Bill Rigby, joint convenor of Autumnfest, said: “We are delighted that we now have some funding to support this brand new festival. There are so many highlights it’s hard to pick just a few out.

“It really is a ‘festival of Knaresborough’ as the aim is to celebrate and showcase Knaresborough’s heritage and nature as well as sustainable life, which we so desperately need to move to. So we will be having fun whilst looking after ourselves, each other, and the planet.”

There will be a huge timetable of events taking place across Knaresborough over the three day event.

Henshaws 21st Birthday gig will kick off the weekend on Friday night and the festival will be filled with family-friendly activities for everyone to enjoy, including cycling-themed events to celebrate the UCI races.

There will also be a special concert at St John’s Church to end the festivities on Sunday, September 29.

New restaurant for Harrogate may be on the wayAs well as the many activities which will be happening all over town, a new map of Knaresborough is being created to help people make the most of what it has to offer.