Staithes Festival, near Whitby, is back after four-year gap - here are the dates for 2023 event

Last held pre-pandemic in 2019, this year’s festival – the Year of the Coast – is happening from September 15 to 17.

The festival’s website says the event, a cultural highlight of the region, continues the tradition of artists being drawn to the village by its inspiring and ever-changing light, higgledy-piggledy tumbledown of quirky cottages to the sea, and celebrates the social and industrial heritage of the generations of families who have lived here, their traditions, skills, crafts and intertwined relationships.

The doors of cottages are thrown open as pop-up galleries showcasing the work of artists, sculptors and creatives, offering visitors a chance to meet them and see their work.

“A peek inside the cottages is also the start of a journey of discovery into the sometimes perilous lives of local fisherfolk and the mining community, with heritage events, walks and talks keeping alive the traditions they handed down, their joys and tragedies,” the website adds.

“Expect to find galleries, sculptures, food and drink, listen to music in the cobbled streets and venues around the village, be entertained by a programme of heritage activities, talks and walks.”

Festivals in the village had been going on since the inaugural one in 2012 and grown in popularity as the years have progressed, attracting thousands of people.

Thanks to the efforts of a dedicated group of volunteers, the event has raised £17,546 in the eight years it has run - the last being in 2019 - with the cash donated to local good causes.

It was hoped that the festival was going to make a comeback in 2022, but just over a year ago, organisers announced that “the event as we know it” had reached the end of the road - and would need a "radical rethink" if it was to make a comeback.

But people have already taken to the festival’s Facebook page to welcome its return, with one commenting: “Excellent news, I really missed it and was sad about it ending. Shall really look forward to it.”

You can visit staithesfestival.com if you’re interested in exhibiting at this year’s festival.