Dear Dancing Friends
The 69th White Rose Festival is over for another year, and we are now looking forward to our 70th Festival to be held on the 11th July 2026. Thank you to all who came and made it such a successful and enjoyable day. It was wonderful to be outside again, and a cooling breeze made the heat bearable.
The Màrtainn Skene Trio will be playing for the afternoon festival and the evening dance in both 2026 and 2027. We look forward to another couple of wonderful festivals with weather to match their great music.
Alan Harrison will play for us again. It was a real treat to have him playing for the Grand March and the Highland dances this year.
The feedback to the integrated programme of massed dances has been very positive and so this format will be retained. The dances will be paired together in degree of difficulty. Some pairs of dances will be aimed at the junior teams and beginners, while other pairs will be more challenging and aimed at experienced dancers. Team leaders can select as few or as many pairs of dances as they wish from the programme to suit their teams.
Date: Saturday, 11th July 2026
We hope you will all join us for our next annual festival and make it another wonderful occasion. Those of you who have been to one will know what fun it is. Any questions or suggestions concerning the festival, please email us.
Deadlines: The deadline for both Team and Meal Bookings is the 20th June 2026.
Venue: The Gateways School , Harewood, Leeds , LS17 9LE
Location and practicalities
The school has excellent facilities. It is in a rural setting opposite the Harewood estate approximately 3 miles north of the Leeds city boundary on the Harrogate Road. The regular bus service (No. 36 bus timetable) between Leeds and Harrogate goes through Harewood. The entrance to Gateways is on the right a couple of hundred yards along the A659.
Yours sincerely,
Chairman, White Rose Festival Committee
