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Outcast Partnership marks Festival First
Members of York-based theatre company Out of Character have been busy in the rehearsal studio with Outcast, a new play by two Ripon writers.
2025 highlights:
Created by Save the Dog Video Productions
One More Thing!
What a fabulous, moving, exhausting week – our biggest Ripon Theatre Festival ever!
160 performances packed into 8 days – in cafes, pubs, shops, care homes, schools, the Library, the Cathedral, the Arts Hub, churches, church halls, the Arcade, the Market Place, Spa Gardens, Minster Gardens, Kirkgate – we’ve been hard to miss!
We’ve set Ripon alight, and had many visitors coming to Ripon for the festival. We counted more than 1000 people in the Spa Gardens on Sunday. We’ve seen many, many wonderful performances.
We’ve brought theatre to people who don’t normally see it, across all age groups. Our outreach programme has been HUGE this year.
We are still creating videos, gathering audience numbers, putting together photos and getting everything ready to share – so watch this space. There’s more to come on socials too.
So on to our final show – Romeo and Juliet, on Friday 24 July, at Ripon Races. Great for families – bring a picnic – the weather looks warm. What better way to spend a Friday evening?
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The Big Give Campaign
Donations will be doubled from midday Tuesday 17 March to midday Tuesday 24 March
Donate hereGet Your Tickets Now
We are enormously excited to bring the Duke's Theatre production of Romeo and Juliet to Ripon. Don't miss this opportunity to see outdoor theatre at its best!
Book NowCheck out the 2026 Festival Guide
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 GuideRead our Impact Report:
News
We’re Already Reaching Out!
Our Reach Out! programme of community activities is already well under way with excitement building for RTF26.
No business support, no show
Ripon Theatre Festival puts local sponsorship centre stage
About Us
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.
Get Involved
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:
- Event Stewards
- Publicity team members
- Walkabout Marshalls
- Venue & Refreshments staff
- Performers for our Community Programme
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.
Support Us
It costs around £70,000 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:
- Follow us on social media
- Like and share our posts
- Buy lots of tickets
- Make a donation
- Volunteer your time
- Encourage your company to sponsor us
