Rejoicing in Ripon: Still time to book a place for Ripon’s annual Summer FunFest!
🎪 🌟Ripon’s sixth Summer FunFest is just a week away and this year will be staged on Wednesday August 19th at the new venue of Ripon Cricket Club on Studley Road 🏏.
The day of free fun-filled activities will run from10am until 4pm and all local children and young people up to the age of 18 are invited to take part 🎈.
Free bookings are still open 📅 David Ingham, a director of Ripon Together, which has organised the event said: “So far 280 have booked their place and we still have room for more, but they must book in advance on: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/summer-funfest-2026-tickets-1992649762079. Children under the age of 11 must be accompanied by a parent or carer. “ 👨👩👧
The free activities for children of all ages 🎨⚽🤹 For younger children, The Imagination Centre, Ripon is providing messy play, drawing and crafts ✂️🖍️. There will also be circus skills performances and teaching, face painting, volleyball, football, table tennis, rounders and a massive inflatable obstacle course 🏃♂️🎪. Beckie Winter of Yorkshire Cricket Foundation will be leading the cricket coaching while a host of volunteers from organisations including the Rotary Club Ripon Rowels, Ripon Community House, Holy Trinity Church, Ripon’s Migrant Families and Ripon Grammar School, will supervise activities 🙌.
Entertainment and food 🎶🍕🍦 Accomplished Ripon musician Matt Pritchard, whose band RoughCut UK often performs at the Black Bull open mic evenings, is organising the live music for the day and for refreshment, there will be bargain-priced wood fired pizzas from What a Pizza and Brymoor ice cream 🍨. Those who want to bring a picnic will be welcome 🧺.
A response to the Covid pandemic 🌈 David said “With the backing of the Ripon Together board, Simon Hewitt and I started the Summer of Play in 2021, as a response to Covid restrictions the previous year, as we recognised that many children had missed out on socialising with their friends, being outside, playing games and sports.” He added: “The Summer FunFest, as it is now known, has continued every year since and involved many local sports clubs, who have all given their time and the use of their facilities free of charge. “Ripon Together provides as much as it can and we rely on local funding, donations and volunteers.” ❤️
Support and donations 🤝 FunFest 2026 has been funded by Ripon Together and the locality budgets of both of Ripon’s North Yorkshire councillors Andrew Williams and Barbara Brodigan. Other support and donations has come from Ripon Cricket Club, The Imagination Centre, Morrisons Supermarket, M&S Food, Tesco and Matt Pritchard Music. Lilla Bathurst, manager of Ripon BID, which has provided support for FunFest from 2022, said: “Events of this nature, including the St Wilfrid’s Procession, Ripon Theatre Festival, Poppy Project displays throughout the year and the Pig Cup charity football tournament organised by the Portly Pig, are made possible because our child-friendly city, has community-minded businesses and individuals, who work together and make the Cathedral City of the Dales a very special place to live, work in and visit.” 🌼🏙️
Photographs were taken by Tim Flanagan of the Rejoicing in Ripon Blog for Ripon BID.
Caption 1: Ripon Cricket Club on Studley Road is the venue for FunFest 2026.
Caption 2: The club’s large expanse of land provides plenty of room for activities and picnics.
