Over the weekend after Yorkshire Day 2025, at St John’s Church in Ben Rhydding, the first ever ThriddingsFest was held – a weekend of words and music to celebrate all things Yorkshire.

Thriddings – the old word for the Yorkshire Ridings linked to the old Germanic word Fest for a feast or celebration, so ThriddingsFest, a Festival of the Ridings.

The inspiration for a ThriddingsFest came from the poet and folklorist Frederick Moorman 1872-1919, Professor of English Language and Literature at Leeds University and a President of the Yorkshire Dialect Society who in 1919, the year he tragically drowned in the River Skirfare near his home in Littondale, suggested there should be an annual gathering in Yorkshire, as in Wales, of communities to perform their songs, dances and poems.

So, 106 years later, a small group of volunteers supported by The Yorkshire Society did just that and a two-day programme of events that reflects the multicultural nature of modern Yorkshire was put together.

On day one, Jozef Mizer – a Roma musician from Bradford accompanied by Terne Caja, young dancers of Roma heritage; Anjaana – a traditional Punjabi folk/Bhangra band also based in Bradford; Subhan Iyer – a young classical pianist from Mumbai who now lives in Huddersfield and performed works by Horbury composer William Baines (1899-1922) and Bradford’s Frederick Delius.

In contrast, on day two, the celebrated author and poet Gervase Phinn, a Vice President of the Yorkshire Society, spoke about the importance of poetry as a way of expressing our deepest thoughts, reading some of his own work; Cathy Benson read poems by her late husband, Bradford’s first and only Poet Laureate Gerald Benson; and  Logan a youthful rapper.

There was also some brilliant Yorkshire storytellers and singer-songwriters including John Billingsley, Eddie Lawler, Robbie Martin, Into the Buttercup, Irene Lofthouse, Nigel Broadbent and Jim Jaratt, offering traditional and contemporary songs and tales about life in Yorkshire, with and without music.

And, seven well-known local poets billed as A Garland of Yorkshire Poets read their powerful and moving poems about life in Yorkshire whilst Yorkshire dialect was also a major feature with Rod Dimbleby, Chair of the Yorkshire Dialect Society, delighting the audience with classic poems by the great dialect poet and humorist John Hartley (1839-1915) and James Wraith from Sheffield.

But a highlight for many attending was the first production since the 1930s of Professor Moorman’s play An All Souls’ Night’s Dream, brilliantly produced and acted by Burley Theatre Group in full costume and with amazing props.

In turning Moorman’s vision into reality, it is hoped this first ThriddingsFest will become an annual celebration of the arts and culture that make Yorkshire such a unique region of England.

Congratulations to all those who helped make ThriddingsFest happen and special thanks go to Vicki Warner and Colin Speakman who gave so much time and effort. For further information please email TheThriddingsFestGroup@outlook.com