Poet Ben Taylor, Ossett Brewery and Sandal Castle will be part of our 2024 launch events
Wakefield will kick off a year celebrating the region's culture and creativity with a day of free events.
Saturday 13 January will feature 24 activities, exhibitions and workshops promising “something for everyone”.
Wakefield Cathedral will host a performance by poet Ben Taylor, known as Yorkshire Prose.
2024 will see dozens of major festivals and events in the Wakefield area – spanning music, art, heritage, sport and food and drink.
The poet has written a new poem to mark the start of our year, with references including the area's coal mining history, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and Wakefield Pie Shop on Cheapside.
The poem, based on contributions from residents across the region, will be performed for the first time at the cathedral event at 14:00 GMT.
The opening day will include art workshops, craft classes and a Featherstone Rovers rugby league open session.
Tours will also be offered to Hepworth, Grow Wakefield and Sandal Castle.
Led by Wakefield Council, the Year of Culture aims to increase visitor numbers in the area, create investment opportunities and give local people change to take part in community events.
The team behind the show recommends early booking for events with limited spaces.
Image source, Janice Apollins/Getty
Wakefield's Our Year program will bring festivals and cultural events to the region throughout 2024
Councilor Michelle Collins, Wakefield Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Sport, said: “Ahead of our year-long celebration of creativity, we will be kicking off the party with not one but 24 exciting events, with something for everyone to enjoy.” .
“Our ultimate goal for our year is for people to be amazed, inspired, and create memories that will last for years to come.”
The West Yorkshire Combined Authority provided £800,000 to cover the cost of running the year-long programme, while Arts Council England provided £500,000.
Although the local authority faces a £35 million funding gap during the 2023/4 financial year, the council said 2024 remains a key priority.
Mark Lynam, the company's director of regeneration and economic growth, said: “We have managed our finances responsibly over the years, and this enables us to continue to invest in important things that will make a real difference to our communities and our economy.”
“The Council is investing £500,000 in matching funding and using £2.22 million from our existing budgets over the next two years to enable our year to leave a lasting legacy for our people and places.”
Discussing his collaboration with Our Year, Mr Taylor said: “I'm very proud to come from a place that has so much to offer from art and history to food and sport.
“For me, it is the people that create Wakefield’s unique personality and charm and I hope that shines through in the poem.”
