Aerial video: Huge Yorkshire arts festival unveiled

The Yorkshire Festival 2014 will run in tandem with the White Rose county’s hosting of the opening two stages of this year’s Tour de France cycle race.

It will get under way on March 27, exactly 100 days before the Tour’s Grand Depart is held on July 5.

Yorkshire Water’s parent company, Kelda Group, was today confirmed as one of the arts event’s main supporters.

To mark the occasion, Yorkshire Water took the wraps off a giant banner at its Lower Laithe reservoir, near Haworth.

Details of the festival’s programme will be announced at end of this month.

The event’s executive producer, Henrietta Duckworth, said: “As one of the region’s biggest environmental investors, employers and landowners, Yorkshire Water has recognised what a fantastic opportunity the festival is for our region.

“They are exploring how local communities and arts organisations can engage with their employees and utilise their land and reservoir sites.

“With this support, we have been able to create an ambitious festival programme featuring world-class artists built around a core of participatory opportunities, across all art-forms, taking place throughout the county for audiences from Yorkshire and beyond.”

The festival is also being supported to the tune of £1m by Arts Council England.