The warm up day for Pontefract’s famous Liquorice Festival with the KLH outdoors artisan craft market and performing artists.
Saturday 10th July from 10am to 4pm in Pontefract Town Centre.
Promoted and organised by Pontefract Civic Society , KLH Events and WMDC Events and Markets.
For stall bookings please contact klhevents@mail.co.uk
Artists and acts looking to perform please contact events@pontefractcivicsociety.org.uk
The first Pontefract Liquorice Festival was held in 1996, and it now attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year — many arriving on coach trips from all over the country. It’s a joy to welcome so many people into our history‑rich town, so we felt that opening our doors for a second day could only be a good thing. KLH Events approached Pontefract Civic Society and, after many months of planning, with support from Wakefield Festivals & Events team, Liquorice Shoots was born in 2023. Liquorice Shoots is the warm‑up event, held on the Saturday before the “main event” on Sunday.
It is run for the community, by the community. We aren’t commercially driven; our goal is simply to create an enjoyable day for the town. Even so, we work hard to install the same infrastructure you’d expect on the main festival day. We have craft and community stalls, children’s rides, face painting, street food, stage and street entertainment and a fun character parade. All of this is delivered through volunteers and sponsorship. Each year the event has grown modestly, and its reputation is beginning to spread. We’re now attracting visitors from outside the area. In our very first year we welcomed guests from the United States, and in 2026 we even had a visitor from Vancouver Island. So… does that officially make us an international event? We like to think so!
