Lionel Richie, Westlife and Madness will headline the first ever York Festival from June 19-21 next year.
Promoted by Cuffe & Taylor, York Festival will be staged at York Sports Club at Clifton Park, home of York RUFC, York Cricket Club, York Tennis Club and York Squash Club.
Opening night headliners Madness will be joined by indie chart-toppers Lightning Seeds, a DJ set from Craig Charles, Leeds band Apollo Junction and York’s Violet Contours.
We feel this is the perfect line-up for the first year of what we hope will become a major annual event
Peter Taylor
Cuffe & Taylor
Westlife headline on the Saturday night as part of their UKStadiums In The Summer Tour. Also on the bill will be All Saints, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Scouting for Girls and a special DJ set from Take That’s Howard Donald. Support acts for the evening headlined by Richie are still to be confirmed.
Director Peter Taylor said: “This is the very first York Festival so we wanted to make this a very special debut year. To have Lionel Richie, Westlife and Madness as headliners – alongside many other brilliant chart-topping artists – is a real coup. We feel this is the perfect line-up for the first year of what we hope will become a major annual event in this wonderful and historic city."
Live Nation-owned Cuffe & Taylor also programme Scarborough Open Air Theatre and famously brought Britney Spears to the seaside venue in 2018, as well as staging Rod Stewart’s 2019 sell-out gig at York Racecourse.
Cuffe & Taylor are working closely on the event with York City Council and Make It York, which showcases and promotes the city around the world.
Sean Bullick, MD of Make It York, said: “York Festival will be a brilliant addition to the city’s already busy calendar of summer events for both residents and visitors to enjoy. Welcoming such music legends and chart-topping artists, as well as showcasing local talent, is another step forward for York’s cultural offer and we are delighted to help spread the word to audiences.”
Three-day day passes are on sale now priced from £129. Individual tickets priced from £39.50 will go on sale at 9am on Thursday (November 28). A range of VIP options are also available.
