Maypoles, marathons, motors … and much more
As we head into the later stages of Spring, there’s a heap of things in the Otley calendar to keep you occupied, on both Bank Holiday weekends and all the bits in-between too.
Traditional dance troupes
Wednesday May 1st sees, of course, the tradition of Morris dancing return to the Maypole as the Buttercross Belles put onto some fabulous dancing between 6pm and 7.30pm with all invited to pop along and join in the fun.
Our other famed Morris dancing troupe the Wharfedale Wayzgoose celebrate their 30th anniversary with a Day of Dance on Sunday May 5th. Starting again at the Maypole, the team will dance their way around town and will be joined by eight other Morris dancing sides, including ones from Derbyshire and Wales.
Celebrations and sports
This weekend (May 3rd to 5th) also sees another birthday, the 20th anniversary of our fabulous arts venue Otley Courthouse. Over the weekend there are events for volunteers, friends, users, tenants, customers and well-wishers.
The traditional feel of the long first Bank Holiday weekend continues on Monday May 6th when Otley Bellman Terry Ford will be performing a special proclamation at noon at the Jubilee Clock to celebrate the first anniversary of King Charles and Queen Camilla’s Coronation.
The following Sunday things get really active in town with the passing through of the second edition of the Rob Burrow Marathon on Sunday May 12th. Want to know what’s going on during the day, from road closures to where the fan park is? See our dedicated article here.
Showcases galore
Saturday May 18th, meanwhile, sees the return of the oldest agricultural show in the country, the Otley Show. Held at the Showground at Bridge End, things kick off at 9am and there will be the usual mixture of livestock shows, animal displays, stalls and things for the kids. The following day (Sunday May 19th) will see Chevin Motor Club’s Classics on the Cobbles take place in Market Place. The showcase of vintage cars aims to raise money for Yorkshire Air Ambulance with things kicking off at 10am.
May is for music
Finally, it’s a great month for music in Otley. One of the UK’s finest modern folk duos Jacob & Drinkwater will be appearing at Folk at the Farrier at the Horse & Farrier pub on Saturday May 4th. They first began performing together back in 2014 and have since released an EP, a live album, and two studio albums, taken in plaudits from BBC6 and BBC Introducing, performed at Glastonbury and toured extensively in the UK and Europe.
Sunday May 12th sees founding member of the Mekons, Three Johns and Waco Brothers Jon Langford bringing his latest band the Bright Shiners to UpCo Arts this Sunday as part of the art space’s Speak Up festival.
Our month of great events comes to a conclusion when the Otley Music Festival starts on Friday May 31st. There’s a great line up of bands at the week-long festival. You can see the lineup as well as all the above and other events at our events page here.