The days are warming up, the skies are getting brighter, and that can only mean one thing—festival season is just around the corner! As spring turns the city green and golden, we’re preparing to fill Ripon with colour, creativity, and sunshine this July.
Get ready for a joyful celebration of live performance, bursting with theatre, music, dance, storytelling, puppetry, and plenty of laughs. Ripon Theatre Festival is fast becoming a highlight of the region’s cultural calendar—welcoming audiences of all ages with a programme that’s packed with high-quality performances, friendly faces, and magical moments.
Save the dates: 1st – 6th July 2025
We’ll be popping up in streets, gardens, museums, and surprise locations all across our glorious city. Expect big laughs, bold ideas, and brilliant memories—and with many events free to attend, it’s the perfect way to kick off your summer.
There’ll be lots for families, and we’re always on the lookout for performers, volunteers, and anyone who wants to be part of the fun.
Plus, we’ll be spreading the festival spirit even earlier with community projects and pop-up events in the run-up to July.
Don’t miss a moment—join our mailing list and follow us on social media to stay in the loop.
Let the countdown to summer begin!
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Created by Save the Dog Video Productions
Pick up your copy of the Festival Guide from the Ripon Arts Hub, Ripon Library, supermarkets and other shops. Or open the guide using the button below and save to your PC or mobile device.
Open Guide
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RTF 2025 is shaping up to be the most interactive Ripon Theatre Festival yet, with a packed programme designed to get audiences involved and inspired. From dance and drumming to storytelling and circus skills, this year’s festival is inviting every one—of all ages and abilities—to join in the fun.
Peter Chand, one of Europe’s finest storytellers will be with us for three days.
Join us for an inspiring series of performances and workshops designed for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 students. These exciting events offer a blend of live theatre, puppetry, and storytelling, providing an enriching experience for children that explores culture, history, and creativity.
RTF is run by a small team of volunteers. We work together with our funders, venues and community partners to bring colour and culture to all the communities of the city, contributing to Ripon’s development as a vibrant place to live, work and visit.
RTF is the primary project of longstanding local charity, The Ripon City Festival Trust (charity number 514981).
Find out more about us here.
The festival welcomes professional performers onto our city streets and venues, but it’s the people of Ripon who will really make the festival fly!
We rely on volunteers for:
Whether you want to check tickets, look after our visiting performers or sing your heart out on a street corner, please do get in touch.
It costs around £50,000 each year to stage the festival and run our Community Outreach Programme. We are very grateful to all those who have supported us in our journey so far, but of course we constantly need to find new sources of funding. As a registered charity, all the funding we raise goes directly towards making the festival happen.
Ways you might like to help us:
