Short + Sweet Yorkshire Festival 2026

Short+Sweet Yorkshire: The World's Biggest Little Play Festival

Every August, Harrogate becomes host to one of the most ambitious new writing festivals in the country. Short+Sweet Yorkshire brings together more than 50 writers, directors and actors across 36 brand-new ten-minute plays, all competing across a month-long tournament of heats, a semi-final, and a grand final — with the audience holding the final say on who takes the crown.

This year's festival runs from 7 to 22 August at St Wilfrid's Hall, Harrogate, and unfolds across four heats, each showcasing nine short plays performed back to back, live and unfiltered. From there, the field narrows: a semi-final on 21 August determines who makes it through to the Judges' Matinée and Grand Final on 22 August, where the year's champion is decided.

What makes Short+Sweet different from a conventional theatre programme is who gets to choose the winner. At the end of each performance, the audience votes — every ticket holder plays a part in shaping which plays advance, right through to the final. It's new writing with real stakes, decided by the people watching it, not a panel behind closed doors.

Short+Sweet Yorkshire is part of the wider Short+Sweet festival network, running in cities across the world — but this one's ours: a Harrogate stage, a Yorkshire lineup, and a month where anyone with a ticket gets a vote in who wins.

Tickets start at £14 (£12 for students and pensioners), with a Four Heat Pass at £46 and a Full Festival Pass at £68 for anyone who wants the complete run from Heat One to the Grand Final.