Harrogate to launch 'world’s biggest little play festival' with extraordinary number of entries

Organisers of a forthcoming Harrogate event labelled the “world’s biggest little play festival” say they have experienced an “extraordinary response” from the creative community.

Presented by Creative Harrogate CIC and supported by The Writers Collective, Short + Sweet Yorkshire 2026 will launch a brand new feast of ten-minute plays this week at St Wilfrid’s Hall on Duchy Road in Harrogate.

Organisers say they have received a record 120 Yorkshire new writing play submissions for this year’s festival, a figure that reflects both the growing reputation of the festival and the appetite for a genuinely open, grassroots platform for new writing in the region.

Festival Co-Producer Fiona Georgiou Hunt said: “Short + Sweet Yorkshire is a no barrier, grassroots platform where any writer, actor or director can bring new work to a real audience and see how it lands.

"It has been particularly exciting this year is the huge number of new play submissions and the regional reach.

"We have creatives coming to Harrogate from right across Yorkshire, from professionals to complete beginners, all working together to tell new stories.”

Part of the international Short + Sweet network spanning cities across five continents, Short + Sweet Yorkshire will run runs from Friday, August 7 to Saturday, August 22.

More than 50 talented actors, directors and writers will take to the stage across the festival, bringing a diverse mix of comedy, drama, mystery, satire and contemporary stories to life – all of them running for just ten minutes.

Every evening will offer a completely different line-up and no two performances are the same.

The festival is not only an increasingly important showcase for theatrical talent, it’s also a chance for audiences to get involved.

Audience members will play a key role throughout the competition, voting for their favourites at each heat.

Alongside audience votes, industry judges will select standout productions and performances to progress through the semi-final to a Grand Final, where both scores will be combined to crown the Short + Sweet Yorkshire Festival 2026 champion.

Individual tickets, four heat passes and full festival passes are available.