Almost £900,000 in new funding will protect year-round cultural festivals and fund essential infrastructure upgrades at a historic theatre in Scarborough.
Year-round cultural festivals and major infrastructure upgrades at a historic theatre are set to be secured following an investment of nearly £900,000 in Scarborough.
The Scarborough Neighbourhood Board has agreed to allocate £485,000 over three years to The Scarborough Fair, alongside £400,000 for essential improvements at the Stephen Joseph Theatre. The financial boost aims to make cultural experiences more accessible and create new opportunities for local residents.
A wide range of free and low-cost activities will continue across the town, removing financial barriers for audiences. The Scarborough Fair delivers a year-round programme of events spanning arts, culture, entertainment, and sport in traditional venues, streets, cafés, and community spaces.
Recent events in 2026 have included the Scarborough Fringe, Scarborough Art, and Scarborough Extreme. The winter schedule is currently getting underway, featuring Winter Art and Winter Fringe from the 29th of October, followed by Scarborough Lights in November.
The financial support will be used to cover event logistics, marketing, commissioned entertainment, and staffing.
Catherine Goble, Festival Manager for The Scarborough Fair, said:
"The Scarborough Fair was originally set up in 2023 and provided a much-welcomed platform for local creatives to showcase their work. Many of these opportunities have previously been short-lived, so the boost from the Pride in Place funding for a further three years has enabled us to carry on the festivals that were set up to support this highly talented and enthusiastic sector in Scarborough.
We are also delighted to be able to commission artists and sports clubs to work with local groups, schools and businesses to create work and activities that involve all aspects of the community, making our events accessible to everyone of all ages and backgrounds.
Scarborough Lights is a particularly good example of this collaborative approach, and I urge everyone to go to see what has been developed as part of The Scarborough Fair, and thanks to overall funding from Pride in Place."
Meanwhile, audience experiences and accessibility will be significantly improved at the Grade II listed Stephen Joseph Theatre. The £400,000 contribution will go towards a wider £3.6 million programme to address essential building infrastructure, including the roof and air-handling systems.
Plans for the McCarthy theatre space include renewed seating, improved facilities, a platform lift, and an accessible toilet.
The investment has also secured a commitment from the venue to double its £1 ticket offering from 1,000 to 2,000 each year. This initiative sits alongside £10 tickets for under-30s, dementia-friendly sessions, youth theatre bursaries, and local school workshops, which collectively create more than 27,000 participations annually with a focus on Scarborough's most deprived communities.
Caroline Routh, Joint Chief Executive of the Stephen Joseph Theatre, said:
"Our theatre was converted over 30 years ago, so much of our infrastructure is now in desperate need of replacement if the building is to survive for the next 30 years. We’re also really excited that these works are giving us the opportunity to make significant improvements to accessibility in the McCarthy, ensuring the space can be used by even more people.
We’re incredibly grateful to Pride in Place for their support of this project; once completed it will mean that SJT can continue to deliver a programme of shows, workshops and community activity that is experienced by over 100,000 people every year."
The overall funding forms part of Scarborough's £19.5 million Pride in Place programme, a ten-year investment strategy led by the Scarborough Neighbourhood Board with North Yorkshire Council acting as the accountable body. The scheme focuses on visible improvements, encouraging investment, and strengthening community activity across the town.
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