A MUCH-LOVED festival is set to return this year with a full programme of events.

Harrogate International Festival is bursting back into life this summer with a colourful programme featuring world-famous writers, flamboyant musicians, samba dancers, burlesque artists, Shakespearean performers, classical and chamber music, and one of the best-known names from the Manchester rave scene.

Comprising of Harrogate Music Festival, Spiegeltent, Berwins Salon North, Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival, and Carnival, the summer season launches in style on Tuesday, June 28, with Brodsky Quartet at St Wilfrid’s Church.

Making a welcome comeback for 2022 is Spiegeltent, the quirky travelling performance venue synonymous with the Music Festival which opens on Thursday, June 30, with famed Hacienda DJ and Festivals favourite, Graeme Park.

For nine nights it will play host to a heady collection of world music groups and solo artists, as well as a silent disco, an evening of burlesque, a chamber concert in candlelight and a delicious pairing of choral music and gin!

For lovers of laughs and Shakespeare, the brilliant Oddsocks Productions will be bringing their unique interpretation of the Bard’s work, this time a double helping of Hamlet the Comedy, to RHS Garden Harlow Carr.

The month will be peppered with classical and chamber music performances in a host of venues across Harrogate, including the return of our Young Musicians Series which nurtures young and emerging talent alongside solo pianist Alexei Grypyuk, the Amici Ensemble in an orchestral finale and the award-winning Heathcliff Trio.

Berwins Salon North returns as Harrogate’s answer to live TED talks, this time looking at The Power of Influence, from how we can shape our own experiences through adjusting our expectations, to how mathematics has influenced all aspects of our society.

The world’s biggest celebration of crime writing returns with a killer line up of star authors. Those headlining this year’s annual Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival include giants of the genre Lynda La Plante, Michael Connelly, Ann Cleeves, Val McDermid, Mark Billingham, Kathy Reichs and John Connolly. They will be joined by Charlie Higson and debutante crime writers, the Rev Richard Coles and comedian Frankie Boyle.

Bringing the curtain down on the 2022 Summer Programme is Carnival, when the vibes of Rio de Janeiro will be heard and felt in the heart of Harrogate.

Commissioned by Harrogate Borough Council, this free family event on Saturday, July 30, will start with a parade through the town centre, featuring a host of dancers and musicians, and finishing in the Valley Gardens where there will be street food stands, dance classes, jugglers, and live music galore.

Festival chief executive, Sharon Canavar, said: “I can’t begin to tell you how excited we are to announce our Summer Programme. Two years ago, Covid shut the events industry down overnight - and our very future was left hanging by a thread. But thanks to the terrific support of our sponsors, we were able to keep going, and deliver our events digitally on the HIF Player.

“Whilst welcoming back a number of summer festival regulars, we are also delighted to introduce a host of new names to the Festival.

“The Spiegeltent has always been a popular performance venue. Harrogate doesn’t have a sticky-floored jazz club, so this is our equivalent. And because the audience is closer to the performers it makes it a more intimate setting.

“The line-up for this year’s Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival is literally to die for! For four days lovers of crime fiction will be able to hear from some of the biggest and best-known names in the industry, as well as rubbing shoulders with many of them in the Theakston bar.

“The Festivals is renowned for bringing classical and chamber music to life across the town and this year’s programme is full of variety and showcases incredibly talented artists.

“Our final event of our 2022 Summer Programme is a real show-stopper. Carnival is an all-day, free family event which will bring the world to Harrogate as we celebrate a wealth of different cultures through dance, music and food.”

Go to: harrogateinternationalfestivals.com/