
TICKETED PROGRAMME
- Sonic Ramble with Suzie CrossSun 25 MayMeet outside Holmfirth Co-op, HD9 7AX
- Accessible Activities AmbleWed 25 JunSands Car Park, Huddersfield Rd, HD9 3JL
- Opera for the People plus opening act Maddie CareSat 05 JulChrist Church New Mill
- Spafford & Campbell plus opening act DoogleSat 12 JulHepworth
- Rachel Modest plus opening act Ajay B.Bop & Wisdom UdensiSat 26 JulHolmfirth Parish Church
- The Graveship of Holme WalkSat 02 AugPark off Cartworth Moor Road, HD9 2QS
- Love Is Not All by Schwa + opening act Bees KneesSat 16 AugHade Edge Band Room
- Vitruvian Mango by Marcus BrigstockeFri 12 SeptThe Civic, Holmfirth
- Ceitidh Mac Trio + opening act VanjaSat 20 SeptHade Edge Band Room
Graveship of Holme Project
ALL EVENTS FREE/PAYD donations welcome



The Graveship of Holme refers to an historic administrative district within the Manor of Wakefield, where the area is governed by a "grave" or constable. This is a community engeagement project celebrating the townships of Austonley, Cartworth, Fulstone, Hepworth, Holme, Upperthong, and Wooldale.These communities have worked with The Children's Art School to share their ideas, stories, creativity, memories and passions at seven Township events. Details of these events below...
Township Events
Austonley Celebrates Textiles
Saturday 31 May 2pm-4pm
Holme Sunday School, HD9 2QG
Arts, crafts and singing from Common Threads, Monkey Business and Vocal Expressions Ladies Choir.
Fulstone Celebrates Singing
Sunday 1 June 10am-12noon
Earthworks New Mill Community Garden, HD9 7BL
Come and learn about this beautiful community garden, enjoy a cuppa and a cake, take part in the family bird making workshop and enjoy some singing with singers from New Mill Male Voice Choir.
Upperthong Celebrates The Luddites
Sunday 1 June 2pm-4pm
The Tech, HD9 3AR
A launch of David Hinchliffe's new book, A Dark and Cheerless Time: The Upperthong Shooting of 1812 and extracts from The Red Shed Players new play AI vs The Luddites
Cartworth Celebrates Water and Wool
Friday 6 June 3.15pm-4pm
Hinchcliffe Mill School, HD9 2PF
A share of art work and singing from children of Hinchcliffe Mill School.
Holme Celebrates Victorian Children
Saturday 7 June 1.15pm-2pm
Meet at children's playground, HD9 2QQ
Join Holmfirth Writers' Group and Holme School for a story walk with music, poetry and dancing, then head to Mackie's Barn for the Holme Garden Party from 2pm-4pm
Hepworth Celebrates Hepworth
Sunday 8 June 10am-12noon
Hepworth Church, HD9 1TR
Take part in craft activities and see a display of art created by Hepworth Art Group and Hepworth School.
Wooldale Celebrates Music
Sunday 8 June 4.30pm-7pm
Holmfirth Parish Church, HD9 1HA
A talk by Tony Johnson about his craft of making lutes, a display of photos of lute making taken by Adrian James and music on lutes played by Tony and Dr Sara Saloum.
BIG FREE WEEKEND
FREE/PAY AS YOU DECIDE EVENTS - Donations Welcome
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Friday 13 June to Monday 16 June River Holme, Holmfirth A community co-created art trail along the banks of the River Holme in Holmfirth made with Holme Valley schools and community groups working with local artists. Take a wander along the river in any direction from Crown Bottom to see how many installations you can spot, or ask a volunteer for a trail map and tick them all off.

Saturday 14 June 12noon & 1.30pm Holmside Gardens, HD9 1AB Enjoy infectious percussive rhythms from this friendly, local samba band comprising adults of all ages and from all walks of life.

Saturday 14 June, 12noon-1.30pm & 2pm-4pm Holmside Gardens, HD9 1AB Join fairandfunky to show your care for the environment at their SCRAPtastic workshop to make your favourite bird out of recycled materials! Suitable for ages 3 upwards, bring the whole family to get creative together.

Saturday 14 June, 12noon-5pm Methodist Church Gardens, HD9 7EQ Explore Experience Community's equipment for inclusive and accessible outdoor experiences.

Saturday 14 June, 12.30pm & 2pm Holmside Gardens, HD9 1AB Saturday 14 June, 3.15pm Methodist Church Gardens, HD9 7EQ Have a wash in the Fairy Garden! Use all kinds of wands to make magical bubbles! You can even stand in them, learn a fairy dance and of course everyone's favourite... pop the bubbles with Fairy Poppy!

Saturday 14 June, 12.30pm & 2pm Holmside Gardens, HD9 1AB Get ready to move, dazzle, and celebrate in vibrant Bollywood style with dance sessions perfect for all ages and abilities - henna, bindis and costumes provided. Stick around to show off your moves in the pageant at 4pm.

Saturday 14 June, 12.45pm Holmfirth Parish Churchyard, HD9 1HA Saturday 14 June, 2.30pm & 3.15pm Holmside Gardens, HD9 1AB A chance to hear world-class opera in the most unexpected of places! Offering a fresh take on the art form, Nicola's enchanting, powerful voice will fill the streets of Holmfirth with beautiful arias and classic opera hits.

Saturday 14 June, 1pm Holmside Gardens, HD9 1AB A brief site-specific walk of Holmside Gardens telling the story of the 1812 Upperthong Incident with music and song.

Saturday 14 June, 2.45pm Holmside Gardens, HD9 1AB Spoken excerpts from Holmfirth Writers' new anthology of poetry and prose set to music and song.

Saturday 14 June, 3.30pm Holmside Gardens, HD9 1AB Accompanied by Lloyd Buck, Vocal Expressions sing a range of songs from the classics to the musicals, many with a theme of nature and landscape.

Saturday 14 June, 4pm Holmside Gardens, HD9 1AB A pageant that weaves together the stories and imagery of the seven townships of The Graveship of Holme into a colourful performance.

Saturday 14 June, 12noon-5pm Upstairs at the Magic Rock Tap, HD9 7DE A half-hour film by video-artist John Coombes with a soundtrack of writing by Holmfirth Writers' Group. This eclectic mix of poetry and prose takes the theme of Weave from fashion and fleas, to Luddites and love, families, grief, and tapestries. The film will run continuously from 12pm-5pm. Anthologies of Weave will be on sale.

Saturday 14 June, 12noon-5pm Holmside Gardens, HD9 1AB Get creative and explore the biodiversity of the River Holme

Saturday 14 June, 12noon-5pm Holmside Gardens, HD9 1AB An opportunity to submit ideas for a new mural to welcome people to Holmfirth, which will be created for the exterior wall of the building occupied by Linley & Simpson on Huddersfield Road.

Sunday 15 June, 12noon & 2.45pm Holmside Gardens HD9 1AB Sunday 15 June, 2pm Town Gate Car Park, HD9 1HA A mass of percussion energy and a head-turning, foot-tapping sound that just makes you want to dance! This "Band on the Street" is more than just a Samba band, blending world music with funk and drum n bass - all arranged by experienced band leader Katie Mallard.

Sunday 15 June, 12.15pm & 1.15pm Holmside Gardens HD9 1AB Sunday 15 June, 4.15pm Town Gate Car Park, HD9 1HA A chance to hear world-class opera in the most unexpected of places! Offering a fresh take on the art form, Nicola's enchanting, powerful voice will fill the streets of Holmfirth with beautiful arias and classic opera hits

Sunday 15 June, 12.30pm Holmside Gardens, HD9 1AB Sunday 15 June, 2pm & 4.15pm Town Gate Car Park, HD9 1HA Have a wash in the Fairy Garden! Use all kinds of wands to make magical bubbles! You can even stand in them, learn a fairy dance and of course everyone's favourite... pop the bubbles with Fairy Poppy!

Sunday 15 June, 12.30pm & 3pm Holmside Gardens, HD9 1AB Created by a skilled company of artists with learning disabilities, this multi-sensory show invites audiences to connect with, and care about, our natural world. Interactive theatre, songs, live music, puppets and sensory props made from repurposed and recycled materials are combined to create a magical experience. Pre and post show workshops explore the themes of nature connectedness and environment through the senses.

Sunday 15 June, 1.30pm & 3.45pm Holmside Gardens, HD9 1AB Join rockabilly tree-planting anarcho-nomad, Wilford, planting trees where he shouldn't, living in his shed and on the run from his past and his arch-enemies, SLUGS! They are out to get him for his contraband seeds. Seed is a wild Rock and Roll journey into nature fighting back.

Sunday 15 June, 2.15pm & 4.30pm Town Gate Car Park, HD9 1HA Returning to Holmfirth with their brand-new show, Accelerate from Highly Sprung is a daring physical spectacle. Combining dark humor, bold movement, aerial performance and conveyor belt dance, the show exposes the flaws of our relationship with energy. When it comes to the environment are we really ready for change? Accelerate explores how 'dirty' energy that fuels us and climate change is running out of steam.
ECO EXPO (part of the Big Free Weekend)
FREE/PAY AS YOU DECIDE EVENTS - Donations Welcome
Yorkshire-based artists, activists and scientists present a range of models, interactive artworks, performances, games, and activities in an exploration of climate sustainability and our shared journey towards a more eco-conscious future.
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Saturday 14 & Sunday 15 June, 12noon-5pm Methodist Church, HD9 7EQ An interactive sound sculpture featuring sounds collected from Suzie's numerous walks in the Holme Valley. It explores the sensory life of trees, imagining the sounds they "hear" in their environment. Immerse yourself in this unique fusion of art, nature and sound, where the landscape resonates through you. At 2pm join Suzie for a "deep listening" walk from her into the town centre.

Saturday 14 & Sunday 15 June, 12noon-5pm Methodist Church, HD9 7EQ An engaging model from Leeds Institute of Fluid Dynamics that shows how rainfall affects a river-catchment landscape giving a visual representation of urban flooding and the unpredictable nature of extreme weather.

Saturday 14 & Sunday 15 June, 12noon-5pm Methodist Church, HD9 7EQ Explore the exciting world of food and sustainability and discover how we can make alternative proteins more enjoyable to eat by playing a fun curling-inspired game that helps explain the textures and qualities of plant-based foods and investigating the textures of a 3D printed tongue.

Saturday 14 June, 12non-5pm Methodist Church, HD9 7EQ How certain are you about recycling? Come and play our recycling game to help build your confidence. There's a small plant prize for all winners.

Saturday 14 & Sunday 15 June, 2-3pm Methodist Church, HD9 7EQ We've known about climate change for years... so why are we badly prepared? With the help of some buckets, some sand, and a few old vinyl records and a dash of dark humour, this solo performance explores some difficult questions and presents some modest proposals for positive change.

Sunday 15 June, 12noon-5pm Methodist Church Gardens, HD9 7EQ Award winning Urban Oasis combines street theatre and science to show how much insects do for us, how much we need them, and what we can all do to help reverse the very worrying loss of insects in due to the use of toxic chemicals. Come and meet our giant bees, butterflies, and musical ant, do our painted lady jigsaw and help us plant for pollinators.
PARTICIPATION
Go to Participate for more information

A creative exploration of the ancient Graveship of Holme constabulary that remains today) with ocal events in seven communities (see participate page) and a pageant on Saturday 14th June (see free/PAYD events)

visual arts project that teams up local artists with schools and community groups to co-create an art trail along the banks of the River Holme in Holmfirth

Bringing festive activities to local care homes. If you would like craft, singing and musical activities in your care home, please contact access@ holmfirthartsfestival.co.uk

See ticketed events for three walks 1) Sonic Ramble with Suzie Cross 2) Accessible Amble 3) The Graveship of Holme Walk