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Wet Wet Wet play Ilkley on Tuesday 26 May Wet Wet Wet are bringing their intimate acoustic tour to Ilkley on Tuesday 26 May, choosing the King's Hall, as it, like the majority of venues on the tour, are located in places that they’ve never played before during their 40+ year careers. As well as a brand-new album that sees them revisit their songs in a stripped back style, ‘An Intimate Acoustic Evening with Wet Wet Wet’ will see founding member Graeme Clark, long-standing guit

Ilkley Beer Festival is marking its 18th year on February 13th & 14th with a renewed focus on community fundraising and support for local businesses. Every penny of profit from the event is reinvested directly back into the Ilkley area. Since its inception, the festival has raised more than £300,000 for local good causes, with funds supporting a wide range of organisations across the town. Money raised through the annual festival, held at the King’s Hall & Winter Garden, hel

Jon Palmer Acoustic Band Caroline Mutton looks ahead to a weekend of musical entertainment at Ilkley Playhouse. The ever-popular Jon Palmer Acoustic Band returns on Friday 6 February. This is a six-piece band that performs with a passion and enthusiasm that matches the content of Jon’s songs. Mixing the traditional with the contemporary, Jon Palmer writes songs with soaring, memorable choruses that you will struggle to get out of your head, long after the evening is over. On

Brutus Gold’s Love Train is coming back to Ilkley in May After a sell-out debut last year, Brutus Gold’s Love Train is back, bringing one night of disco magic to The Kings Hall on 30th May. This multi-generational party invites everyone – mum, dad, son, daughter – to dress up, hit the dance floor, and sing along to classic disco anthems and funky guilty pleasures. From the young to the young at heart, the Love Train is a celebration of music, fun, and togetherness. Brutus Gol

Steel and the Weaver, One Foot in The Groove and Diamond Dac will perform on 8th May Ilkley Live is once again partnering with Ilkley Playhouse for A Night of the Blues on Saturday 8th May 2026. The evening is the second partnership between the two, giving music lovers a fantastic evening in support of Ilkley Live, a local charity dedicated to fostering community cohesion and promoting live music in the area. A spokesperson from Ilkley Live said: “Join us for an unforgettable

[Photos; Bradford Theatres] There's a great line up of music and chat coming to the King's Hall in Ilkley with the likes of John Lydon and Craig Revel Horwood. Something About George – The George Harrison Story , the musical biopic tribute about the so-called “quiet” Beatle returns to Ilkley next month. Featuring a five-piece band performing beautiful songs such as My Sweet Lord, Something, Got My Mind Set On You and Handle With Care , the show includes incredible solo materi

Teams are being sought for the annual Rotary Club of Ilkley Charity Business Quiz Night night which takes place on Thursday 26th February at Vitello Lounge in Ilkley. Teams of four are required to get their thing caps on and show off their general knowledge. David Shaw MBE from of the Rotary Club of Ilkley, said: " A bumper full house last year of 24 teams completing for The Andrew Hartley Trophy. . "The quiz is sponsored by Ison Harrison Solicitors and all proceeds this year

Ilkley Business Awards have today announced the shortlist of finalists for this year’s glamourous awards ceremony in March.   Following a three month period were businesses and their teams where invited to enter and nominate in twelve categories, the wait is finally over!    The distinguished panel of judges gathered at The Craiglands Hotel on Friday, 23 January, to assess a record number of entries.   A spokesperson for the IBA’s said:   “Firstly, we would like to thank our

Ilkley Beer Festival returns on Friday 13th and Saturday 14th February, bringing together outstanding live entertainment, a vibrant festival atmosphere and a strong commitment to giving back to the community. While the festival at the King’s Hall and Winter Garden is well known for its wide selection of beers, it also boasts a carefully curated entertainment programme designed to keep visitors entertained throughout the weekend. The festival opens on Friday evening with an en

The 'Printastic Printorama' exhibition of work produced by members at Outside the Box, hosted at the Tinker Gallery, is proving to be a huge success with the final chance to view this weekend. The recent exhibition launch event attracted lots of visitors to the gallery and without exception, all were impressed and inspired by the work on display. Some so much so that they bought pieces to take home! The exhibition displays works in collage, pencil and paint from the members o

L to R   Rachel Podger, Marcin Świątkiewicz, Elizabeth Kenny  Geoffrey Mogridge reviews Ilkley Concert Club's concert featuring Rachel Podger (violin), Elisabeth Kenny (theorbo) and Marcin Świątkiewicz (harpsichord), at the King’s Hall, Ilkley on Wednesday 14th January 2026. An evening of burnished sonorities built on five sonatas for violin and basso continuo by Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (1644-1704) beckoned. Rachel Podger’s opening remarks embrace her audience and we a

Ilkley Carnival’s 2026 theme of “Children’s Books” was launch at The Grove Bookshop with carnival committee member Colin Watson, with Lucy Allen and pupils from local schools Ilkley Carnival has announced its 2026 theme with organisers inviting the community to step into the magical world of Children’s Books for the event on Monday 4 May. The theme launch marks the start of preparations for one of the town’s most anticipated annual events which raises money for the local comm

Ilkley Philharmonic New Year Concert [Photo: Michelle Heseltine Photography] Geoffrey Mogridge was in the sell out audience at the King's Hall on Saturday evening, 10th January, for the Ilkley Philharmonic New Year Concert which featured the Academy of Northern Ballet . A packed King’s Hall eagerly greeted the Ilkley Philharmonic Orchestra, leader Sally Robinson and conductor John Anderson, at the start of their annual New Year Celebration. This one, like the inaugural 2025 e

Snow White cast outside the King's Hall/Winter Garden With opening night fast approaching, excitement is building in Ilkley as Upstagers prepare to bring their brand-new pantomime Snow White to the stage at the King’s Hall this January. In the run-up to the show, the cast recently took to the streets of Ilkley in full costume, meeting shoppers and local businesses at the town’s popular Real Food Market and spreading a little fairy-tale magic around the town centre. Snow White

Liam Farrelly frontlines January's Stagefright Comedy Club Written by Caroline Mutton Gaslight , the iconic Victorian thriller of manipulation, secrets and suspense opens at Ilkley Playhouse on Thursday 15 th  January. The Manninghams appear to be the perfect couple – at least from the outside. But behind the elegant façade of their London home, something far more sinister is at play. Bella Manningham begins to doubt her sanity; Jack, her husband, disappears on mysterious err

Catherine Newman and Rachel Joyce An author event at The Grove Bookshop has proved so popular, it's moving to a larger venue. An Evening with Catherine Newman and Rachel Joyce  will now take place at Church House, All Saints' Church, Ilkley, from 7-8.30pm on Thursday, 5 February, with more tickets now added. The two authors will be in conversation with Grove Bookshop bookseller and writer Emily Devane, about the theme of family in their novels. Fans of Sandwich and We All Wan

Lexus Ilkley Open is back in June [Photo: Jack Gray] While we’ve only just said goodbye to 2025, the team at Ilkley Lawn Tennis and Squash Club (ILTSC) are already well underway with planning Ilkley’s biggest week of the year, the Lexus Ilkley Open. From the 7 th  – 14 th  June 2026, star tennis players will take to Ilkley’s award-winning grass courts. Attracting players ranked within the top 100 in the World, the growth this event has seen since its beginning in 2015 is outs

The Outside the Box Print Group has teamed up with the Tinker Gallery to showcase the fantastic talents and brilliant work created by Group members.   The launch event for the Printastic Printorama exhibition takes place on Saturday 10th January between 2pm and 4pm at the Tinker Gallery, 25 Church Street, Ilkley and all are welcome to pop in.   Emma Straw, OTB Printmaking Tutor, said:   “Our members at Outside the Box are full of wonderful creativity, and have great ways of e

Gaslight opens on 15th January at Ilkley Playhouse Ilkley Playhouse's first production of 2026 is Patrick Hamilton’s psychological thriller, Gaslight. Opening on Thursday 15th January in the Wharfeside Theatre, the play is set in Victorian London and follows the Manninghams, a well-to-do couple living in a large house. Jack Manningham is an overbearing bully, while Bella Manningham is living on her nerves for fear of offending her husband.  Jack is convinced that, like her mo

Runners of all abilities are being encouraged to kick-start their New Year’s resolutions by signing up for the 2026 Ilkley Half Marathon or Ilkley 5K, with early-bird entries closing on Sunday 4 January. Both popular events will take place on Sunday 12 July 2026, offering participants a summer race day through the stunning Wharfedale landscape. With the New Year traditionally a time when many people set fitness and wellbeing goals, organisers say now is the perfect moment to