Wakefield is set to come alive this August Bank Holiday as Merrie City Festival takes over the city centre from Friday 22 to Monday 25 August 2025.
The brand-new event, delivered by Wakefield BID, is a four-day celebration of creativity, culture and community. From live music and dance to street theatre, art trails, heritage highlights and family games, the festival will showcase the very best of Wakefield – past, present and future.
With free entry and activities for all ages, the city will be transformed into a vibrant hub of entertainment and discovery, encouraging visitors to explore every corner and support the fantastic shops, cafés, bars and independents that make Wakefield unique.
Wakefield BID Chief Executive Thomas Wales said:
“Merrie City Festival is all about celebrating what makes Wakefield so special. It’s about civic pride, community spirit, and creating a city centre that feels vibrant, exciting and alive. We want people to rediscover Wakefield – whether that’s through live performance, creative activities, or simply enjoying a walk through the streets with something happening around every corner.”
A full programme of events will be revealed soon, but the call is already out for performers, stallholders, businesses and community groups to get involved.
Get Involved
Performers and Creatives
Whether you’re a band, choir, spoken word artist, dancer, theatre group or street performer – we’d love to hear from you.
Performance Inquiry Form
Traders and Stallholders
If you’d like to trade at Merrie City Festival, showcasing your food, drink or handmade goods to festivalgoers, apply here:
Stallholder Inquiry Form
Activities and Workshops
Merrie City Festival will feature a range of interactive experiences across the city centre, designed to invite people to take part, explore and get involved. We’re looking for businesses, creatives and community groups to help us deliver engaging activities that add to the vibrancy of the event.
These could include hands-on workshops, creative demonstrations, small-scale performances, craft sessions, storytelling, wellbeing activities or public installations that encourage interaction.
If you have an idea that brings people together and encourages participation, we’d love to hear from you.
Activity Inquiry Form
Thomas added:
“This is a celebration built by the people of Wakefield, for Wakefield. Whether you’re a business, a performer, a community group or someone with a great idea, we’d love to hear from you. Let’s make Wakefield Merrie again.”
To find out more and keep up with festival announcements, visit:
www.merriecityfestival.co.uk
Or email: info@wakefieldbid.co.uk
