Hugh Bonneville to Headline RTF Fundraising Event
Acclaimed actor Hugh Bonneville is coming to Ripon for a very special RTF fundraising evening.

Join the Downton Abbey and Paddington star for a very special RTF fundraising evening. Hugh will join us at Holy Trinity Church on Saturday 21 November at 7pm, for an intimate evening of conversation about his extraordinary career across theatre, television and film.
All profits from the event will go directly to RTF, helping us continue bringing high-quality, affordable and accessible theatre and live performance to people across the city.
Tickets on sale now!
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Donations will be doubled from midday Tuesday 17 March to midday Tuesday 24 March
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RTF 2026 was bigger, brighter and bolder than 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 were hard to miss!
But the numbers are only part of the story. We’ve brought theatre to people who don’t normally see it, across all age groups through our rapidly-growing Reach Out! Programme.
Huge thanks to all our audiences, artists and supporters. See you again soon!

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 NowPick 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 GuideAcclaimed actor Hugh Bonneville is coming to Ripon for a very special RTF fundraising evening.
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.
Our Reach Out! programme of community activities is already well under way with excitement building for RTF26.
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 £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: