River Party FREE IN

Practice crafty habitat ideas, learn eco tricks and skills, and help make York rich in biodiversity and bursting with natural beauty

Every Arts Barge Festival ends with a Sofa Session and we’ve got a couple of legends lined up for the comfy seats this year!

Created to get your juices flowing and make you feel all warm and fuzzy!

Local favourites Bull, go acoustic for a change, and share their spot with musical friends over from Holland.

Be part of this throng!

A live action immersive musical experience in which you make the decisions and decide the final outcome

American Tribal Style Belly Dance is a modern style of belly dance  inspired by folkloric dances of the Middle East, North Africa, Spain and India.

A fun workshop where children will learn a few dance steps and discover new ways to move their bodies!

Get your funky pants on!

Great hooks and great songs, delivered with passion.

Lively & poetic Spanish guitar

A live action immersive musical experience in which you make the decisions and decide the final outcome.

Combining bluegrass, a hint of swing and a whole lot of hoedown into a righteously spiced ratatouille!

JD & Folk, AKA Dan Eccles & Jake Jones: are a freestyle Appalachian flatfooting dance team fuelled entirely by cider.

Banjo Jen is the “all-singin’, all-dancin’, badass banjo-pickin’ girl”. 

We are delighted to welcome the fabulous Feet First dancers and musicians back to Riverside!

Rachel is an independent musician and songwriter, combining rich, complex vocals over rhythmic fingerpicked guitar.

Rendez Manouche: Gypsy Jazz Open Session - all welcome!

An extraordinary musical and immersive Story Adventure - Skull and Bones: A moral and melodramatic tale of the Wild West! When the Grim Reaper carries off their gang leader, three Wild Young Outlaws, ride out looking for revenge.

The Tempest: A Play In A Week for 9 - 16 yr olds, showcasing Nurture Talent as part of the Arts Barge Festival.

Expect honking horns, duelling banjos, dazzling tap dancing, slapping spoon playing and multi-instrumentality.

Times are hard but Salvation is at hand! Ferret and the Wild Man, have come all the way from the US of A to The Riverside Festival with a wagon-full of Dr Ferret’s Miracle Elixir! Join them to hear all about the most adventurous mouse that ever lived!

Movement, creativity, mindfulness and loads of fun for kids!

The Arts Barge Great Yorkshire Swing is back!

Los Jamones de York are a group of musicians and dancers from Spain, Chile and York

They combine flamenco with modern rumbas and traditional Andalusian music, to create a vibrant and memorable performance.

A traditional arrangement of guitar, double bass, accordion, and violin 
with a mandate to deliver blisteringly subverted renditions of popular songs.

Come and have a banging time and bang some trash with the Trash Bang Man!

Come and play the ukulele! Arts Barge maestro Christian Topman will show you how - it’s easy peasy! Bring your own , bring someone else’s, or borrow one when you get here!