Yorkshire Festival top 3 ft. Kes, Hope & Social and the Woolly Bike trail

For the next 100 days Yorkshire aims to show that it has more arts and culture to show the world than the location where Downton Abbey is set. World-class music, dance, theatre, film, art, sculpture and art forms that are still waiting to be defined take place across the vast landscapes and cities of an area that constitutes almost a quarter of England’s geography. Here we chose our favourite  events of the myriad that are happening that embody both the history of Yorkshire and what the future might hold…

Kes
There’s almost nowt more Yorkshire than the story of Kes. The story of Barnsley lad Billy Caspar, trapped between the industry of his working class town and the natural landscape that surrounds it, embodied by his friendship with a wild kestrel hawk. Adding a modern twist, this adaptation by Jonathan Watkins and Alex Baranowski incorporates dance to show the relationship between boy and his bird of prey, unleashing the imagination of the child and viewer alike inspiring all and sundry to reach for the sky.
Thu 27 Mar – Sat 5 Apr, The Crucible Theatre, Norfolk Street, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S1 1DA, 7.30pm (matinees 2.30pm Wed & Sat), £10 – £21, www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk

Hope & Social’s Tour of Infinite Possibility
Leeds six-piece Hope & Social aim to add considerably to that number with an open touring and hiring policy as they invite the whole of Yorkshire, and anyone else who stops by, to join with them to create whatever they can with brass, bells, ukuleles, and most importantly, the general public. The results can be enjoyed at any of their live gigs, or through recordings that Hope & Social will make on the road and release once the tour has finished. To join the band and find out where they might be next, head to their website – or look out for their recognisable blue blazers across market halls and high streets of Yorkshire, and help them make the impossible possible.
Thu 13 Mar – Sun 13 Apr, The Tour of Infinite Possibility Recruitment Gigs, date & venues TBC, held across Yorkshire, festival.yorkshire.com

The Woolly Bike Trail
The Yorkshire Festival dovetails nicely into the beginning of the 2014 Tour de France as Leeds host the Grand Depart on Saturday 5 July – and the festival has many cycling-themed events throughout the century of days celebrating both the mechanics of cycling and the many art forms that it inspires. One such artist is yarn-stormer Cassandra Kilbride whose crocheted street art makes cheeky visual statements that offer a new vision of the towns and cities around us. Ten woolly bikes (pictured) will be created across Yorkshire, with most of the yarn the produce of Yorkshire sheep, before the final display in Sheffield where the event of the cycling season takes place. Join in with the workshops as Kilbride and her team of crocheters and knitters transform everyday objects into something new but still intrinsically Yorkshire.
Wed 9 Apr – Thu 3 Jul, various towns across Yorkshire, find out more at festival.yorkshire.com