10 – 12 August 2013

Whitby Regatta is a major event on Whitby’s events calendar, drawing crowds from far and wide from day trippers to boating enthusiasts. The event promises 3 full days of entertainment, including rowing and yacht racing events, a range of events open to the public such as fun run, a raft race and a beach football tournament.

As time went by the number of ocean-going ships available for racing dropped away, and now the offshore entertainment for the Regatta mainly comprises fiercely-fought small yacht and rowing races.

Whilst the larger vessels are no longer present, this is more than compensated for by the growth of onshore activities including a Fun Fair, a 4-Kilometre Fun Run on the Sunday starting at 10 am from Crescent Gardens, an Under-11 Beach Soccer Festival on the Saturday (from 10 am to 2 pm, entry fee £5 per team) and a stunning Firework Display as a finale on the Monday evening with special effect shells, star bursts, and an almost continuous barrage of whistling coloured rockets and other spectacular fireworks.

Moreover there are other things planned for the skies above earlier in the weekend – a Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (with Spitfire and Hurricane fighter planes) and the Red Arrow Display Team performing their amazing aerial acrobatics on Sunday at 12 noon. Please note that these aero displays are subject to the demands of operational duties. Just before Monday evening’s fireworks, there’ll be a prize-giving ceremony for the winners of the various competitions.

Whitby Regatta has grown over the years and it now attract crowds of around 20,000 people from near and far, so be sure to arrive early. There’s lots of parking in the town, and great pubs and restaurants, as well as plenty of visitor accommodation, and there are tons of other fascinating things to see and do if you decide to make the Regatta part of a longer break.

You can find more details about past, present and future Whitby Regattas at the Regatta’s website.

And you can keep in touch with what’s happening with the Regatta and all the other news for Whitby in the Whitby Gazette.

Whitby’s hugely popular Goth Weekend brings revellers and fans of non-conformity, the alternative lifestyle and free expression from all over the UK and beyond for several days of shopping, drinking, dancing and merriment.

Rocky Horror Show Goth below Whalebone Arch © Chris Jones/Bow House

For those who fancy a bit of shopping, Whitby is full of fascinating, independent shops selling all manner of wares. As well as Whitby’s usual offerings the Bizarre Bazaar Alternative Market at the Spa features over 120 stalls featuring clothing, music, footwear and jewellery. There are some great and unique items – perfect to pick up a memento of the weekend. Also worth checking out is the Gothic Bring and Buy is a great place to pick up bargain clothes and shoes, or bring along your own alternative clothing and footwear and the WGW volunteers will sell it on for you. A 10% cut of all revenue raised is given to charity.

A perfect combination of vivid colours © Chris Jones/Bow House

For many regulars the event is all about the music and there are fantastic lineups for Friday and Saturday night’s gigs. The gigs usually run from 8:00pm until 1:00am, but check times at the information stall, especially if there’s a specific band you’d like to see. Get your tickets from the Whitby Goth Weekend website.

FRIDAY

• Doctor & the Medics
• Pussycat and the Dirty Johnsons
• Voltaire
• Zombina and the Skeletones

SATURDAY

• Clan of Xymox
• The Danse Society
• Deviant UK
• Skeletal Family

There are also a number of fringe events going on in and around Whitby such as alterative club nights. Check the WGW website for details. To book tickets or to find out more about the event visit http://www.whitbygothweekend.com

Many costumes make use of Whitby’s nautical connections © Chris JonesBow House

The event is a great place to make new friends, or meet up with old ones, join in the good times and admire the magnificent array of individual and creative clothing and costumes on display. Many regulars make spectacular, bespoke outfits for the occasion, taking their inspiration from grand Victorian styles, or Whitby’s Dracula or nautical connections. Many are truly marvelous and (if you ask politely) worth taking a picture of.

A more sober look but just as effective © Chris Jones/Bow House

For newcomers and first timers there will be an informative meeting in the Spa on Friday 26th April at 11:00am. The folks at the information desk will be able to direct you to the right room. WGW staff will be on hand to answer any questions and there will be maps and programmes available to show you what’s going on where and how to get there. Any announcements and last minute changes/updates will be made in the Spa Foyer.

Whitby is the perfect setting for a Goth experience © Chris Jones/Bow House

Whitby is the perfect setting for a Goth experience © Chris Jones/Bow House

Whitby Goth Weekend 2012

31 October to 5 November

Halloween to Guy Fawkes Night

www.whitbygothweekend.co.uk

Whitby Goth Weekend was started in 1994 by Jo Hampshire as a musical get-together for people who liked Goth music. It’s grown over the years into something much more than that though, as it’s now a celebration for all things alternative and unconventional.

Rocky Horror Show Goth below Whalebone Arch © Chris Jones/Bow House

At Whitby Goth Weekend, the town turns into a haven for non-conformists, people who enjoy dressing up, fans of the music, and the many sight-seers who come along to see the wonderful costumes and to experience the “otherness” of the occasion.

Goths come in a huge range of styles © Chris Jones/Bow House

For the “real Goths”, the music is still the central thing and the two biggest gigs take place in the Whitby Spa Pavilion on Friday 2nd and Saturday 3rd November and tickets are available online from the Whitby Goth Weekend website and other outlets for either or both nights. There are three other club nights at RAW nightclub (on Thursday, Sunday and Monday), admission for these is not covered by the Goth Weekend ticket so you’ll need to buy a ticket on the door.

Men enjoy dressing up as much as women © Chris Jones/Bow House

The line-up for Friday and Saturday is:

Friday 2 Nov
Mesh
Fangs On Fur
Inertia
Dutch Order
Last July

Saturday 3 Nov
Alien Sex Fiend
Blitzkid
All Living Fear
The Last Cry
Angels Of Liberty

Performances usually start from approximately 8.30 pm and finish around 1.00 am.

A perfect combination of vivid colours © Chris Jones/Bow House

Many of the Goths enjoy having their photo taken and will gladly pose for photographers if they ask politely but if you intend to take photos please respect the privacy of those who don’t want to be snapped.

A more sober look but just as effective © Chris Jones/Bow House

A lot of Goths make their own costumes by hand and it takes a lot of skill, time and creativity to produce them. You can see a huge variety of styles amongst the people parading along the seafront and on the steps leading up to Whitby Abbey, from pure Victorian through vampire-themed costumes right up to futuristic fantasies which evoke images of a dystopian (or, in some cases, utopian) other world.

Goths can also buy accessories and ready-made clothes from some of the outlets listed on the Whitby Goth Weekend website and at the Bizarre Bazaar locations in the town (several of which are at the Spa Pavilion). There will also be a charity Bring and Buy Stall in the Resolution Hotel in aid of the Bat Conservation Trust.

Prices for tickets for WGW’s main events at the Whitby Spa Pavilion are as follows:

Weekend (2 & 3 November) £50
Friday-only 2 November £26
Saturday-only 3 November £29

Many costumes make use of Whitby’s nautical connections © Chris JonesBow House

18, 19 & 20 August 2012

The annual Whitby Regatta which is held every August has a long and glorious history. It is very likely that it’s the oldest sea-based regatta in the country having originated with local fisherman vying for honours in the late 18^th century or the early 19^th. The exact date is lost in the sea-frets of time but a Whitby Challenge Cup, awarded by the Royal Yorkshire Yacht Club, was recorded as having been won by the schooner Whiled in 1847, and a handsome prize of 50 guineas was won by the captain or the ship’s owner (historical note: a guinea is a pound and a shilling, ie £1.05, and 50 guineas is £52.50, but the prize would be worth a lot more than that today). The fishermen who started the whole thing weren’t racing anything as luxurious as yachts – instead they competed using salmon cobles and fishing smacks (the boats that they used every day to earn their living) and though it was primarily for entertainment purposes, the Regatta served to encourage the honing of seamanship skills which would be useful for the rest of the year.

As time went by the number of ocean-going ships available for racing dropped away, and now the offshore entertainment for the Regatta mainly comprises fiercely-fought small yacht and rowing races.

Whilst the larger vessels are no longer present, this is more than compensated for by the growth of onshore activities including a Fun Fair, a 4-Kilometre Fun Run on the Sunday starting at 10 am from Crescent Gardens, an Under-11 Beach Soccer Festival on the Saturday (from 10 am to 2 pm, entry fee £5 per team) and a stunning Firework Display as a finale on the Monday evening with special effect shells, star bursts, and an almost continuous barrage of whistling coloured rockets and other spectacular fireworks.

Moreover there are other things planned for the skies above earlier in the weekend – a Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (with Spitfire and Hurricane fighter planes) and the Red Arrow Display Team performing their amazing aerial acrobatics on Sunday at 12 noon. Please note that these aero displays are subject to the demands of operational duties. Just before Monday evening’s fireworks, there’ll be a prize-giving ceremony for the winners of the various competitions.

Whitby Regatta has grown over the years and it now attract crowds of around 20,000 people from near and far, so be sure to arrive early. There’s lots of parking in the town, and great pubs and restaurants, as well as plenty of visitor accommodation, and there are tons of other fascinating things to see and do if you decide to make the Regatta part of a longer break.

The dates for the Whitby Regatta for the next four years have also been arranged and they are:

10-12 August 2013

9-11 August 2014

15-17 August 2015

20-22 August 2016

You can find more details about past, present and future Whitby Regattas at the Regatta’s website.

And you can keep in touch with what’s happening with the Regatta and all the other news for Whitby in the Whitby Gazette.

London 2012 Olympic Torch - photograph courtesy of London 2012

A once in a lifetime opportunity to be part of London 2012 Olympics

On Monday 18 June 2012 a new page will be added to Whitby’s proud history when the Olympic Torch arrives from Middlesbrough on its way to Scarborough.

The Torch arrives in North Yorkshire at 9.00 and Hinderwell is the lucky village which is the first stop in the county. It then travels five miles to Lythe by convoy (and is due to arrive at 9.14) before going on foot a further mile to Sandsend (arriving at 9.24).From Sandsend it goes by convoy to Whitby coming in at Upgang Road at 9.40. The procession then goes on foot via Chubb Hill Road, Bagdale and Langbourne Road to Whitby Railway Station.

At the Station the Olympic Flame will board the Green Knight steam engine for a footplate ride through the North York Moors National Park to Grosmont starting at 10.09, and from there it will travel by the Sir Nigel Gresley loco to Pickering Station, arriving at 11.34. It will complete its journey to Scarborough by convoy (before going on to Filey, Bridlington, Beverley and Hull).

The Green Knight (BR 4-6-0 Standard Class 4MT no.75029) at Grosmont Station, the end of its run from Whitby with the Olympic Torch - photo courtesy of NYMR

There will be plenty of opportunities for people to see the Torch en route, and for most people in the county it will be the only chance they will ever get to be so closely involved with the Olympic Games.

When the Green Knight leaves Whitby Station it will be carrying Rooney Massara who represented Britain in the 1972 Olympics held in Munich as an oarsman. He was lucky enough to be present at the 1948 “austerity” Olympics in London just after the Second World War as a small child – so this is his third different way of experiencing the Olympics.

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway are delighted and honoured to have the unique privilege of being the only Heritage Railway in the UK to be a Torchbearer. Whitby Station and the Olympic train won’t be open to the public, though the will also be carrying 220 local schoolchildren, but the NYMR will be running other trains that day – check the NYMR website for details of trains and prices. There will be a limited amount of room for the public at Pickering Station an excellent spot for seeing the Torch) and open access along Pickering’s streets before the Olympic Flame travels by convoy to Scarborough.

The Olympic Torch route through Yorkshire was announced in November last year.From left to right: Philip Benham (General Manager, NYMR), Councillor Joan Lovejoy (Mayor of Pickering), Councillor James Fraser (Ryedale District Council), Hannah Cockcroft (Paralympic athlete - double world champion wheelchair racer), Gary Verity (Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire and Chair of Yorkshire Gold) - photo courtesy of NYMR