There is every kind of Yorkshire entertainment to be had across the region. If it's a day out at the races you fancy you have the pick of racecourses from York Racecourse that hosts the renowned Ebor Festival in August and the St Ledger in September. Doncaster Racecourse is traditionally where the British Flat-racing season on turf is launched. Pontefract Racecourse is particularly family friendly that makes a superb family day out.
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Under 16s accompanied by an adult can enter every enclosure and fixture for free! Every Sunday is also Family Day at Pontefract Races with on-site kids' rides, face painting and on some dates an operating crèche. On the edge of the Yorkshire Dales is Ripon Racecourse whose feature racedays include the Totesport Handicap (April) and the Ripon Bellringer Handicap (July).
North of Leeds historic market town Wetherby is renowned for its horse racing history - the Romans raced Arab horses in the area. Wetherby Racecourse is one of the UK's leading jumping tracks with a heritage in steeple-chasing.
Yorkshire cities like Leeds and Sheffield are excellent entertainment venues with fantastic venues for live music and live shows. Sheffield's arenas have played host to many internationally acclaimed artists as well as major sporting events. Leeds is known as the live music capital of Yorkshire with many chart bands having started here.
There are some good, smaller music venues excellent for seeing breaking bands. All the cities have great theatre entertainment venues whose productions range from touring professional productions to local talent. For what's on in West Yorkshire it's worth checking out the small theatres in towns like Hebden Bridge and Holmfirth where there's a thriving arts scene including picture house cinemas and art galleries.
York entertainment is often centred around York Racecourse, considered one of the best flat racecourses in the country. Some of the countries' favourite race meets are held at York including the renowned Ebor Festival in August and the St Ledger in September. Check what's on at York Racecourse for the latest race meetings and ladies days that are particularly well attended.
Theatre entertainment in York is taken care of by York Theatre Royal that stretches back to 1744. Today if you're looking for what's on in York theatres you'll find the very best of contemporary cutting edge drama at York's Theatre Royal. The Grand Opera House that was converted from the York Corn Exchange warehouse in 1902 also has a full entertainment programme. York's Opera House has a long history and became a centre for music hall and variety with the likes of Lillie Langtry and Cecily Courtneidge performing here. The period style is retained in the Opera House's spectacular interior and indeed the venue retains its links with music oriented performance. Epic modern day musicals are often performed here as well as concerts, comedy, bootleg musical extravaganzas and some opera.
When looking for what's on in Leeds you'll find that the city is one of the best nights out for live music in the country. The city has long been a creative centre for music and artists like Kaiser Chiefs and Corinne Bailey Rae. The Cribs and The Pigeon Detectives. For music venues and clubs in Leeds try The Cockpit, Leeds' premier club for gigs having hosted bands like Coldplay, The White Stripes and The Killers. Other popular music clubs in Leeds include Leeds Metropolitan Union that attracts big names on tour, The Faversham renowned for hosting indie bands of the moment like the Arctic Monkeys and Lilly Allen and The Wardrobe famed for its jazz nights.
If it's comedy entertainment in Leeds you're after Leeds comedy clubs have something to suit throughout the week. Jongleurs has one of its clubs in Leeds city centre and you'll find comedy nights at The Smirking Room, House of Fun, Kill for a Seat at Seven Arts Centre and the Hi Fi Club.
Theatres host a huge array of Leeds entertainment including the historic Leeds Grand Theatre on New Briggate, the acclaimed modern drama mecca, the West Yorkshire Playhouse, the Carriageworks and the Leeds City Varieties Music Hall. Theatre entertainment in Leeds include one of the great classic historic Yorkshire theatres - the atmospheric and recently refurbished Leeds Grand Theatre. Today it plays host to internationally renowned productions particularly musicals, many of which come from the West End and Broadway. The West Yorkshire Playhouse hosts cutting edge drama and often the best of radical UK theatre. The Leeds-based Northern Ballet Theatre performs regularly at the West Yorkshire Playhouse and the Leeds Grand Theatre. Leeds is home to one of the UK's most acclaimed and innovative contemporary dance companies - the Phoenix Dance Theatre. The favoured venue for the Phoenix Dance Theatre is the West Yorkshire Playhouse. The Carriageworks on buzzing Millennium Square offers an eclectic mix of musicals, dance, film, plays and workshops. The BBC's classic music hall show the "Good Old Days" was filmed at the Leeds City Varieties Music Hall on Swan Street. It's still offering up some superb old style music hall nights plus numerous other music and comedy performances through the rest of the year.
Sheffield entertainment is quickly adding to its reputation as a great city for theatre breaks. Sheffield's Lyceum Theatre is a special theatre venue with the historic setting adding to the enjoyment of the eclectic mix of musicals, dance and drama on offer here at the Lyceum.
Other theatres in Sheffield appeal to a varied audience. Fans of snooker will certainly be familiar with Sheffield's Crucible Theatre which plays host to the World Snooker Championships annually. Dating from 1971, The Crucible is Sheffield's main theatre hub and has built up an acclaimed reputation for cutting edge drama over the years. Frequent productions of Shakespeare's plays are on offer here. 2008 sees The Crucible getting a major facelift. The more intimate Studio Theatre offers a superb programme of touring drama and music, particularly classical.
Live music is key to Sheffield entertainment culture having spawned acts like Pulp, the Arctic Monkeys and Reverend and the Makers. The Sheffield Arena and Don Valley Stadium are both large venues in the city that host artists' world tours. The O2 Academy has regular listings of live music as well as smaller venues like the 50 year old Cavern where artists like Genesis, AC/DC, the Sex Pistols and the Clash (for their first gig), and David Gray have performed. There are plenty of other venues in the bars and clubs in Sheffield as well as the Sheffield universities student union venues.
Entertainment in Scarborough is one of the Yorkshire Coast's main hotspots. Choose from what's on at Scarborough theatres from variety shows to regular comedy shows at The Other Side comedy venue in the town. The Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough is home to Alan Ayckbourn who is the theatre's artistic director. The Theatre serves as opening house for most of his new plays. The very best of cutting edge drama is what to expect alongside classical music nights and some film screenings. The in-house art deco theatre restaurant - Nineteen 36 - is open for lunch, pre-theatre dining and evening meals.
To find out what's on in Scarborough throughout the year, visit the Scarborough Spa Complex on South Bay. During the summer the annual Jazz Festival is hosted here and the Dance Festival in the autumn. The iconic Grand Hotel in Scarborough is also a renowned entertainment hotel with regular ballroom and cabaret entertainment in the evenings.
The nightlife provides plenty of entertainment in Scarborough. Boleyns Nighclub is one of the biggest with 5 bars and 3 dance floors, open 4 nights a week. Sigma Club in Scarborough is one of the town best clubs, with gay nights, a jazz club and more. Deja Vu Nightclub has three huge dance floors, 4 bars offers a mix of dance and R&B. Club Mansion Scarborough, is open Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays till late.
Yorkshire football is more than just a game. It is home to some of the country's best rugby and football clubs in Yorkshire. These often have modern, state of the art stadiums. Take Leeds United Elland Road ground. Here you can take a tour of the stadium and find out all about the football club's history. Leeds is also home to Leeds Rhinos at Headingley Carnegie Stadium that can house 22,250 spectators!
Football teams in Yorkshire that ring a bell with even non-sporting visitors are Sheffield's two famous clubs: Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday. Sheffield United's Bramhall Lane is currently the world's oldest major stadium still to be hosting professional matches. Sheffield Wednesday's Hillsborough Stadium is the largest of Sheffield's football ground and is in the Owlerton suburb of the city.
Hull is famous for being home to professional rugby league team Hull FC, one of the founder members of the Northern Union which was formed in 1895. They were one of the world's first 22 rugby league teams. Today they share the KC Stadium with Hull City AFC. The stadium also hosts international association football and rugby league football competitions and acts as a concert venue for artists which have included Elton John and The Who.