Funding awarded to support the York Ice Trail 2022 and Aesthetica Film Festival 2021

The grant money will play a pivotal role in continuing York’s various cultural events that otherwise would’ve faced an uncertain future due to COVID.

Councillor Darryl Smalley, Executive Member for Leisure, Culture and Communities, said:

 “The ARG Events and Festivals Fund is supporting safe, large-scale events across the city, including York Ice Trail 2022 and Aesthetica Film Festival 2021.

“This funding will ensure that these events can go ahead - ensuring that all residents have something exciting to pop on the fridge calendar, as well as securing York’s world-renowned reputation as a city of experiences as we continue to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Councillor Andrew Waller, Executive Member for the Economy and Strategic Planning, said:

“We are well aware of the financial hurdles that COVID has caused to local businesses and the events sector. By supporting these events we will look to not only to bring back the vibrancy of our local cultural scene but also engage businesses and visitors, increasing footfall and supporting our local economic recovery.”

Having established its popularity in previous years, the UK’s biggest outdoor Ice Trail will be returning for two days on 5^th and 6^th February 2022, with support from the ARG Festivals and Events Fund.

Helen Apsey, Head of Culture and Wellbeing at Make It York said:

“The York Ice Trail is a unique family friendly event that gets residents and visitors exploring different areas of the city and helps to support local businesses by driving footfall at a typically quiet period. It's going to feature a range of magnificent ice sculptures next year - and we're absolutely delighted that City of York Council are supporting the event, to help us make it even bigger and better, especially post-covid as we welcome people back into the city."

The 11^th edition of Aesthetica Film Festival is also ready to make a comeback with a hybrid approach this year. The festival will run from 2-30 November online and 2-7 November in York, thus, engaging with a wider audience of film-lovers to provide them with a unique, cinematic experience.

Cherie Federico, Director of Aesthetica Magazine said:

"The pandemic has affected all of us in so many ways. We've all had challenges to overcome but as we move into this new world, with it comes new working practices. The BAFTA-Qualifying Aesthetica Film Festival is the UK's leading festival for new talent, and as a result plays a major role every November in bringing culture to the city through our curated programmes and with an economic impact of £2 million pounds, it makes a vital contribution to the city's economy. In 2020, we developed the festival to run virtually, which expanded our reach considerably, and, as we prepare for our 2021 Hybrid edition of the festival, this sees a new way for content to be delivered. Nothing beats the big screen, so we will have plenty of in venue activities across the city, but beyond that we will live stream our events onto a specially developed platform in which attendees can access on their TVs as well as computers, tablets, and phones.  City of York Council’s support for the festival, as we embrace a hybrid approach to film festival delivery will offer the much-needed support to pursue live streaming and leave a legacy for forthcoming years. Its impact will continue as we plan for the future of independent film in York."

With the support provided by the ARG funding, York Design Week is also returning this year with the theme: ‘What a Pickle!’ It will be held from 20-26 October 2021 at various locations across York. The theme will be explored via an exciting programme of exhibitions, workshops, installations, creative careers advice, presentations, and live music.

The other events and festivals that have received the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) funding in the city include the Jorvik Viking Festival and York Food and Drink Festival.

The events and festivals in receipt of the funding will boost  York’s city centre offer, creating cultural experiences  for residents and visitors to enjoy, as well as providing a boost for the local and independent businesses which form the backbone of York’s economic recovery.