Ripon Theatre Festival
From Woolly Hats to Sun Hats - Ripon Theatre Festival 2025 is on its way!
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, excitement is building as the annual Ripon Theatre Festival prepares to fill the city 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.
Events will be popping up in streets, gardens, museums, and surprise locations all across this 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.
Just some of the highlights:
Tuesday 1 July – Hilarity Bites Festival Special at Ripon Arts Hub
An unmissable night of stand-up from some of the best comics on the circuit.
Wednesday 2 July – Third Class at Ripon Arts Hub
A moving performance revealing untold truths about class, identity, and survival.
Thursday 3 July – Mrs Churchill – My Life with Winston at Ripon Arts Hub
An extraordinary one-woman show bringing Clementine Churchill’s voice to life.
Friday 4 July – SPY MOVIE: The Play! at Ripon Arts Hub
Fast, funny, and packed with action — the ultimate send-up of spy thrillers.
Saturday 5 July – FREE Street Entertainment
Walkabout acts, crazy characters, circus and clowning bring the streets and open spaces of Ripon to life throughout the day.
Saturday 5 July – Almost Austen at Ripon Arts Hub
A playful, original comedy for lovers of Jane Austen — and anyone who isn’t!
Saturday 5 July – The Wind in the Willows at Ripon Races
Outdoor theatre at its best – a celebration of this timeless tale of friendship, laughter, the longing for home and the lure of adventure.
Sunday 6 July – FREE Family Day
Open-air theatre, walkabout acts, circus skills workshops and Punch and Judy plus music, stories and dance from community groups. Bring a picnic to the Spa Gardens and stay all day!
Let the countdown to summer begin!