Lifestyle: Top 10 things to do

Burnby Hall Gardens, Pocklington, July and August

Yorkshire in Bloom Gold Award-winning Burnby Hall Gardens now have its national collection of more than 100 varieties of hardy water lily in full bloom across both lakes.

The gardens are open between 10am and 5.30pm daily, with the lilies in flower throughout July and August.

Admission charges apply

2Platform Festival

Old Station, Pocklington. Doors open at noon. Music starts at 1pm

Scottish born and Los Angeles based singer-songwriter KT Tunstall tops the bill. 
Also playing are Ward Thomas, Newton Faulkner, Benjamin Francis Leftwich and Holly Macve.
Plus Stillhouse, Buffalo Skinners, The Grand Old Ukes of York, Beth McCarthy, Bramble Napskins, Rachel Croft, Forgotten Voices Choir and an Access to Music Stage.

www.platformfestival.net

3Berlin Nights

Sewerby Hall and Garden, near Bridlington, Friday July 14 at 6pm and 8.15pm

Lasting just over an hour, this promenade performance celebrates the music of Irving Berlin. It guides you around the atmospheric setting of this historic house with songs and anecdotes from the Berlin household.

Tickets: 01262 678258

4A Taste of Smuggling

Robin Hood’s Bay, Saturday July 15 from 5pm

Paul Johnston, of Baytown Beers, will be leading this guided walk followed by a beer tasting.

The walk will start outside Robin Hood’s Bay Museum in Fisherhead. The one-hour gentle stroll around ‘old Baytown’ will highlight 18th century smuggling tales and reveal the hidden smuggling secrets of numerous village cottages.

The tour will finish in the village with a beer tasting.
Tickets £10 each.

Book: 01947 880513

5 Ryedale Festival Opera - The Garden of Disguises

Ampleforth College Theatre, Saturday July 15 at 6pm

Seven characters with complicated love lives meet an eighteen-year-old composer full of imagination and musical genius. Mozart’s La Finta Giardiniera, performed here in the world premiere of John Warrack’s new translation The Garden of Disguises, is full of lyrical beauty, human foibles and dramatic intrigue. Ryedale Festival runs until July 30 and includes concerts across Ryedale and in Scarborough and Sledmere. Among those performing are Carducci Quartet and the Orchestra of Opera North. Historian Lucy Worsley and actor Simon Callow are also on the programme.

www.ryedalefestival.com

6Whitby Sea Festival

Whitby Harbour, Whitby Pavilion and Bandstand, July 14-16.

The sound of sea shanties and songs of the sea will be echoing around Whitby Harbour from Friday and Sunday with the return of Whitby Sea Festival.

A line-up of sea song singers and shanty crews will be seen in The Pavilion and in the Bandstand.

Internationally acclaimed singers including Hughie Jones, Richard Grainger and Dick Miles will join with local artists and performers from UK and Europe. The centrepiece of the weekend is the Whitby Ahoy – Gala Maritime Concert at The Pavilion Theatre on Saturday night. This show will include performances from Hughie Jones and Yesterdays Men. Also taking part will be student musicians and singers of Caedmon College Whitby who will perform an arrangement of the Richard Grainger song Old Whitby Town.

Phone 01947811508 and 07449641000

7Sixties Fest – head back to the Swinging Sixties on the steam railway

North Yorkshire Moors Railway, July 22 and 23.

A new bigger and better 60s Fest takes place, where you will get the chance to head back in time to the Swinging Sixties with events up and down the railway. You will be transported to Memphis with Levisham becoming Elvisham, Goathland, once known as Aidensfield of Heartbeat fame, will have a traditional country show and Grosmont will be taken over by 60s transport legends with Minis and 60s cars on show. Pickering will also host a pop pirate radio show, hall of legends exhibit and 60s fashion exhibition.

Visit https://www.nymr.co.uk/Event/60s-fest

8 Elvis tribute show,

Whitby Pavilion, Friday July 14.

Mark Summers, the country’s official number one Elvis tribute, is bringing his Legacy Show to Whitby Pavilion this Friday.

Direct from the West End, this winner of a National Tribute Award will treat guests to a special evening.

Performing as a young Elvis, the show will be packed with all the favourite hits from the early years such as That’s All Right, Shake Rattle n roll, Hound Dog, Blue Suede Shoes and ‘Don’t be Cruel.

There will be tracks from those Hollywood years too featuring hits from Elvis’ movies including Jailhouse Rock, GI Blues, Viva Las Vegas and many more.

Mark has been an Elvis fan since he was just a young child fascinated with Elvis’ voice, image and charisma on stage.

Phone The Pavilion Box Office (01947) 458899.

9Teddy Bears picnic with the Spa Orchestra.

Scarborough Spa, Monday July 17, 11am, Grand Hall.

The Spa Orchestra’s popular Teddy Bears’ Picnic concerts return to The Spa’s Suncourt.

The concerts are aimed at introducing young children to music and musical activities. A great opportunity for everyone to get involved – sing along, play along and dance along with the Spa Orchestra. Lots of audience participation and a chance to look at the musicial instruments and how they work.

Don’t forget Teddy for 90 minutes of musical fun. If the weather is wet, the fun moves inside. Tickets:

£4 per person

£7 Parent & Child (under 16) ticket

Free entry for toddlers up to the age of 18 months (no ticket required).

Ticket hotline: 01723 821888

10 Botanical painting for beginners
Burnby Hall, Thursday July 27, 3.30pm.

This special one-off workshop will include a walk around the gardens led by the artist Rose Horspool; an introduction to the botanical structures of plants; develop botanical links using a range of media including pencil, pen and ink and pastels, and gouaches which you can take home. There is also an ask the expert session. All materials, including plants and flowers, are included as part of the day. There will be a short break for lunch, you can take a packed lunch and enjoy a picnic in the gardens. Booking is essential and places are limited. The event costs £2.50 per person.

Call the visitor centre on 01759 307125 or email [email protected]