Glastonbury screening saved from cancellation

A town's free screening of this year's Glastonbury Festival has been saved from cancellation after local businesses and residents donated £5,000 to cover the costs.

Knaresborough & District Chamber had previously relied on North Yorkshire Council to provide £2,500 for the Party in the Castle, but cuts meant this year's funding was pulled.

However, thanks to grants from Knaresborough Relief in Need, Knaresborough Lions and Knaresborough Rotary Club Waugh Trust, as well as donations from local businesses and residents, the event can go ahead on Saturday 28 June.

Kelly Young, director of Knaresborough & District Chamber, called it a "combined community effort" to allow the screening to take place.

A crowdfunding page, which was launched after it was announced that cash from North Yorkshire Council's locality funding budget could not be allocated to this year's Party in the Castle, helped to raise over £3,500 towards the event, she said.

"It has taken a lot more time and stress worrying about getting the money in this year, but without businesses and locals it just wouldn't happen, so I want to say a massive thank you."

The decision to keep the event in the grounds of Knaresborough Castle free and to not include concession stands there would ensure it remained "a community-based thing everyone can afford", according to Ms Young.

"It would be a huge shame if it was down to funding that we couldn't put this on, but we've managed to get there, and I do think with the right people we can chip away and do it again," she said.

Ms Young said the event, which would feature a large screen streaming live footage from the Glastonbury Festival between 17:00 and 23:00 BST, had previously proved a big success.

"It's a really big family affair as well, so kids were dancing in the rain to Coldplay until 8 or 9 o'clock at night. It was like being at Glastonbury - it's really good."

Attendees have been encouraged to bring picnics or visit nearby businesses for takeaway food and drink.

Glastonbury Festival was due to take a fallow year in 2026, but Ms Young said the chamber was considering other options for next year, such as showing highlights of previous Glastonbury Legends slots.

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