Staithes Festival of Arts and Heritage 2023

STOP PRESS! We have extended the registration deadline until 14 June 2023 so everyone still wishing to take part can get their venue.

This year's festival is September 15-17 2023 - the Year of the Coast.

Come and visit! You could book a printmaking workshop run by hilarious artist Sean Starwars all the way from Mississippi to Staithes, bring your favourite antique to be valued by BBC TV presenter and expert auctioneer Caroline Hawley, learn how to make a lobster pot from former Staithes fisherman John Cole, and spend Saturday evening in the company of performance poet, comedian and musician John Hegley.

Celebrating the rich history of creativity and heritage of the village of Staithes on the coast of North Yorkshire in the North York Moors National Park, Staithes Festival of Arts and Heritage is a cultural highlight of the whole region.

It continues the tradition of artists being drawn to the village by its inspiring and ever-changing light, higgledy-piggledy tumbledown of quirky cottages to the sea, and celebrates the social and industrial heritage of the generations of families who have lived here, their traditions, skills, crafts and intertwined relationships.

Staithes festival sees the doors of cottages thrown open as pop-up galleries showcasing the work of artists, sculptors and creatives, offering visitors a chance to meet them and see their work.

A peek inside the cottages is also the start of a journey of discovery into the sometimes perilous lives of local fisherfolk and the mining community, with heritage events, walks and talks keeping alive the traditions they handed down, their joys and tragedies.

Expect to find galleries, sculptures, food and drink, listen to music in the cobbled streets and venues around the village, be entertained by a programme of heritage activities, talks and walks.

Registrations Now Open!

Please click here to find out how to exhibit at this year's festival. We have extended the registration date to 14 June 2023.