What's On in Whitby

Fri 23 – Sat 31 Oct

Illuminated Whitby Abbey

Whitby Abbey

English Heritage lights the abbey ruins each evening from 5.30pm to 9pm until Saturday 31 October, with four short Gothic-themed performances repeating through the night.

Sat 24 Oct – Sun 1 Nov

Halloween half-term at Whitby Abbey

Whitby Abbey

Daytime family fun at the abbey from 10am to 4pm, with storytelling, spooky games, a themed trail and a daily fancy-dress competition included in the standard entry price.

Fri 30 Oct – Sun 1 Nov

Tomorrow's Ghosts Festival

Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff

A gothic music festival at Whitby Pavilion headlined by The Mission, with Lol Tolhurst and The March Violets on the bill and weekend tickets from £96.

Fri 30 Oct – Sun 1 Nov

Whitby Goth Weekend (autumn)

Hotels, halls and venues around town

The autumn Goth Weekend fills Whitby over the Halloween weekend with alternative markets, live bands and DJ nights in hotels and halls around town.

Fri 6 – Sun 8 Nov

Whitby Rocks & Blues Festival

Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff

Three days of rock and blues bands at Whitby Pavilion in early November, with full-weekend tickets from £105.

Fri 13 – Sun 15 Nov

Whitby Christmas Festival and Market

Marina Front Car Park, Langborne Road

Whitby Town Council's annual Christmas market sets out chalets and food stalls on the Marina Front car park over a mid-November weekend.

Thu 19 – Sun 22 Nov

Whitby Lit Fest

Whitby Pavilion, Flowergate Hall, the Coliseum Centre, Whitby Museum and other venues

Whitby's literature festival runs more than 50 ticketed author events over four days, with John Boyne among the headliners.

Tue 24 Nov

Spooky Storytelling in the Spa Well Free

Victoria Spa Well, Broomfield Terrace

The historic Victoria Spa Well opens from 12 noon to 2.30pm for three short readings by author Amanda Mason; entry is free but the readings must be booked through the Pannett Art Gallery.

Sat 28 – Sun 29 Nov

Dippy Craft Fair Free

Northern Lights Suite, Whitby Pavilion

Fifty stalls of locally made crafts and gifts fill the Pavilion's Northern Lights Suite for a pre-Christmas weekend, with free entry and dogs welcome.

Fri 4 – Sun 6 Dec

Whitby Krampus Run

Around town; Krampus Ball at the Royal Hotel

This year's Krampus Run, billed as Zwolf, brings horned folklore figures to Whitby for a December weekend, with Thee Krampus Ball in the Royal Hotel ballroom on Saturday 5 December.

Mon 11 – Sat 16 Jan

Aladdin (Whitby's Apollo Players pantomime)

Whitby Pavilion Theatre

Whitby's Apollo Players put on their January pantomime at the Pavilion Theatre, with evening shows all week, a Saturday matinee and tickets from £8.

Sat 13 – Sun 14 Feb

Whitby Steampunk Weekend XXI Free

Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff

The February edition of the twice-yearly steampunk gathering fills two trading halls at the Pavilion with around 70 stalls, and entry is free.

Fri 19 – Sat 20 Mar

Whitby Soul Party Weekend

Whitby Pavilion, West Cliff

Two nights of soul music at the Pavilion in March, sold as Friday, Saturday or weekend tickets from £20.

Fri 2 – Sun 4 Jul

Whitby Soul Weekender

Northern Lights Suite, Whitby Pavilion

Live soul, funk and Motown acts and DJ sets in the Pavilion's Northern Lights Suite across an early-July weekend, with weekend tickets from £45.

Sat 14 – Mon 16 Aug

Whitby Regatta Free

Harbour and town

The community-run regatta, paid for by public donation, packs three days with yacht and rowing races and free entertainment, finishing with a prize presentation and a firework display.

Sat 21 – Fri 27 Aug

Whitby Folk Week

Venues across town, including the Spa Pavilion

A week of folk concerts, ceilidhs, workshops, storytelling and daily dance-team displays around the streets, with early-bird tickets already on sale.

Fri 29 – Sun 31 Oct

Tomorrow's Ghosts Festival

Whitby

The organisers have announced the dates of next year's Halloween gathering of gothic bands in Whitby, though no line-up or tickets are published yet.