Entertainment in Skipton

The Yorkshire Dales Food and Drink Festival takes place at the height of summer, towards the end of July, with a weekend celebration of the best food and drink in Yorkshire. It is hosted at Funkirk Farm, and you can expect celebrity chef guests, interactive workshops and masterclasses, a vintage funfair, copious amounts of food, and a lineup of cover acts that’ll appeal to all tastes and ages.

If you are visiting towards the end of September, or the beginning of October, see if you can catch some of Skipton Puppet Festival. It’s England’s largest celebration of puppet theatre and takes place all across town with plenty of free events for you and the family to pop into. The parade is a must-see as puppeteers from around the world take to the town’s quaint streets for a celebration of their craft.

Last of all, May sees the return of the Skipton Waterway Festival. It’s absolutely free, so come down to the Canal Basin for three days of celebrations with dozens of narrowboats, thousands of locals, pints, food and craft stalls.

Yes, you can see a show or two during your stay in Skipton. Now, don’t get too excited, we don’t have a Frank Matcham theatre to our name. However, we have a couple of small stages to tell you about. The Skipton Little Theatre is just around the corner from Skipton Station. Critics would call it ‘intimate’; it can only seat 70 people. It’s the home of the Skipton Players since 1960 who put on five runs a year, occasionally another in the summer, as well as one off shows should the stars align correctly. Tickets are only a tenner, or you can become a member to support the players and get your seat for free.

Your other option is The Mart Theatre. We’re fairly sure you’ve never been to a theatre like this before. It takes place in a cattle mart. We don’t mean the venue used to be a cattle mart, and has been converted into a theatre. We mean by day you can go and buy a cow, by night you can head down for Phantom of the Opera. Musicals, classic plays, stand up comedy, live music, and cover acts, The Mart Theatre manages to book a wonderful array of shows; see what’s on during your stay.

The largest entertainment venue in Skipton is the Concert Hall. It’s in Skipton Town Hall, which you can read more about in our page dedicated to activities in Skipton. The Concert Hall books a wide range of shows, including classical music, bands, solo artists, and cover acts, as well as film screenings, theatre, dances and more.

If you want to listen to some of the local talent coming out of Skipton, you can also head down the Venue Sports & Music Bar on Cavendish Street. As well as being a great place to watch sports, nearly every Friday night they book a band or acoustic art from the local area. They also book DJs on Saturdays, if you want to head down and dance until the early morning.