Exclusive: Question mark hangs over Tour de France festival legacy

The landmark Yorkshire Festival was staged for the second time this year when it attracted more than 900 performers from 22 countries and hundreds of thousands of visitors.

However, a question mark remains over whether adequate funding can be secured for the biennial festival as the region is being lined up for a succession of major arts events.

Hull will host next year’s long-awaited City of Culture, while two of the region’s cities, Bradford and Sheffield, are vying to become the chosen location for the Great Exhibition of the North in 2018 – the same year when the next Yorkshire Festival is due to be held.

Leeds is also bidding to become the European City of Culture in 2023, and fears have been raised that funds can be secured to allow all the events to be staged.

The artistic director of this year’s Yorkshire Festival, Matt Burman, who has confirmed that he has left the post after his contract came to an end, said: “We did have real success and built really strong relationships with arts partners across the whole of the country and I know that those partners and our steering group under David Lascelles are very keen to continue that project and the festival.

“If Welcome To Yorkshire says it is continuing in 2018 that is fantastic. Unfortunately, that (funding) has not been secured yet and I hope that it will be.”

Referring to the other major arts events, Mr Burman added: “The Yorkshire Festival can play a fantastic role working with all these partners to deliver something bigger and better for 2018.

“The project is something that Yorkshire is crying out for. Manchester, Edinburgh and Birmingham have well established international programmes.

“A programme like this is really wanted by both artists and audiences.

“I sincerely hope that money will be found in the near future to properly establish the festival as an ongoing project,”

A North-South divide in Arts Council England funding has been a long-held concern, which could further impact on the organisation of future major events in the region. The Yorkshire Post revealed last year that the region received £11.46 per person compared to £33.77 in London.

However, Dan Bates, a member of the Yorkshire Festival Steering Group, was adamant that it is “everyone’s aspiration” for the Yorkshire Festival to return in 2018.

He said: “For me, as someone working in the arts in Sheffield and as a Welcome to Yorkshire board member, it is fantastic that our county has such an appetite and ambition for festivals both large and small.

“Festivals grow and develop with the right people at the right time having the vision and tenacity to make the case for the value of arts and culture in Yorkshire.

“The 2014 Yorkshire Festival lay strong foundations and the response to the 2016 festival reinforced this appetite. Future Yorkshire Festivals will build on this legacy.”