When HD8 Life visited Farnley Festival 2026
- HD8 Life
- May 16
- 2 min read
We loved the first ever Farnley Festival in 2025, so when the team behind it invited us back for 2026 - and were kind enough to gift us our tickets - we didn't need asking twice. A huge thank you for that.
The weather did what Yorkshire weather does best - bright to start, overcast through the afternoon, and by evening it had made its feelings known - but it didn't make a dent in the atmosphere.
Now in its second year, the festival continues to honour the life of George Sawyer, a well-loved local lad who passed away in 2023, aged just 18. The fact that this event exists, and that it has sold out two years on the trot, says everything about how much he meant to this community.
The day had everything you'd want from a village festival done properly: local traders with fresh flowers, cheese, jewellery, handmade pieces, ladies wear, gluten free bakes, smoked trout farmed down the road (literally!) and more; games, rides and bouncy castles for the kids; live music, the Farnley Tyas First School choir, a full bar and a solid line-up of food traders.
The Village Games brought out the competitive spirit with welly-wanging, tug o'war, and at least one participant who may have ended up in a bush.
As the evening set in and the rain arrived properly, nobody seemed particularly bothered. The line dancing, the singing, and the bands all carried on regardless.
Huge congratulations to the organisers. The planning that goes into a day like this is considerable, and it shows. Two sell-out years running is no accident.
If you missed it this year, make a mental note to get next year's tickets the moment they go on sale. You've been warned! Visit https://www.farnleyfestival.uk/ for more info.