A NEW spring festival is being brought to York this April to showcase local talent in the city in the form of musicians, performers, comedians and much more.

Organised by Make It York, YorkLife will see more than 30 local performers and organisations join together in Parliament Street over the weekend of April 2 and 3 for residents to enjoy.

Festival headliners include Huge, who will be bringing the party to Saturday night. Closing the festival on Sunday night will be home-grown talent The Howl & The Hum, who recently graced the stage of York Minster and celebrated a sell-out two night residency at The Brudenell.

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They headline the main “YorkLive” stage which hosts a programme curated by York’s Music Venue Network, showcasing local artists, including Bull, Kitty VR, Flatcap Carnival, Hyde Family Jam and more.

There will also be interactive sessions held by local organisations in the city such as theatre workshops, instrumental workshops, face painting, comedy and dance performances, as well as fire performers and local circus acts.

The main stage will be located on Parliament Street, with an open viewing area that holds a capacity of 500 people. There will also be a covered stretch tent, which will hold a York Gin bar and seating area. The stretch tent holds a further 90 people, on a one-in-one-out policy.

This is a free event and there is no need to book tickets in advance.

YorkLife is organised by Make It York, with support from the City of York Council’s ARG funding - which aims to support businesses impacted by Covid-19. The programme of events for YorkLife has been curated with York residents in mind and to support the city's recovery from Covid.

Councillor Darryl Smalley, executive member for culture, leisure and communities, said: “Our cultural sector is the life-blood of our communities. There is so much local talent in York, from musicians to comedians and poets to performers, which make our city so vibrant and unique.

"YorkLife is an excellent way to celebrate our home grown musicians and performers, particularly after what have been a challenging few years for us all. I would encourage residents to join the festival and enjoy the best of York’s own local talent.”

Sarah Loftus, managing director at Make It York, said: “YorkLife is a celebration of local York talent and culture, from our street musicians to our local community groups.

"We want to really celebrate the sense of community in York and we’re encouraging residents to come join the party and see some of the hottest talent York has to offer.”

Chris Sherrington, music venue co-owner and a member of York Music Venue Network, said: “It’s wonderful to have this opportunity to showcase some of York’s amazingly talented artists who have developed their careers across the city of York’s many great grassroots music venues.

"As part of YorkLife weekend, we are looking forward to celebrating the return of live music to the city and enjoying the wonderful variety of music for one and all. This event has been a true cooperative effort of York’s event industry and creatives and we look forward to working on future events.”

Find out more about YorkLife at visityork.org/yorklife #YorkLife

The full line-up for YorkLife will be announced later in March.