Mini Arts Festival to return to North York Moors during May half-term
Multiple venues in and around the North York Moors are set to come alive with music, dance, theatre and much more as the Mini Arts Festival & Fringe returns in 2026.
Over the last three years 3-Minute Arts has gained a loyal following for accessible community arts provision in and around the North York Moors.
It began with a group of Glaisdale residents and a small-scale idea: to perform short plays for Esk Valley Railway passengers while the train waits for 3 minutes at Glaisdale station.
This grew into a national writing competition to find winning drama scripts, a Mini Arts Festival, and now regular community arts workshops offering opportunities in isolated areas lacking access to diverse culture.
2025 proved to be a landmark year with a Mini Arts Festival lauded as ‘the best yet’ and a series of autumn workshops (‘Moors & Coast Mysteries & Folklore’) taking more than 60 people on a journey from ‘Reading the Landscape’ to discovery of hidden stories in local archives and finally realising these elements in lively creative writing workshops.
The 2026 Mini Arts Festival, which takes place from May 23-31, with take place at multiple venues in and around the North York Moors, including Glaisdale, Lealholm, Whitby, Loftus and Saltburn.
Events & Workshops will feature family folklore, tai chi, capoeira, clog dancing, drumming, circus skills and trapeze, outdoor (plein air) painting/drawing, a psychogeography poetry walk, photography, clay and poetry
Festival Weekend (May 30-31) will see the Festival Performance Day and Evening Concert on Saturday May 30, followed by arts and crafts, music, a walk and farewell concert on Sunday, May 31.
Those wishing to enter this years writing competition for drama, story and song are asked to send entries by Sunday, February 15.
Entries should be submitted to the Competitions Administrator via: https://3-minutearts.uk/writing-competition.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED:
Performance spots available (song, theatre, dance): May 30–31
Artist/maker tables with demo slots available: May 31
Accommodation/Camping - join the online listing / take an advert in the Festival Programme
Sponsors & Supporters - Advertise in the Festival Programme or offer raffle prizes
Festival Volunteers and Crew - Help with venue and marquee set up; sound equipment & engineering; MC and stage management; front of house management; raffle tickets/donations/sales; car parking management; and anything else!
For more information visit https://3-minutearts.uk/mini-arts-festival