Back in 1994 someone had an idea. They thought it might be fun to stage a scarecrow festival in Kettlewell in the Yorkshire Dales. Fast forward 32 years and this event has become pretty well established.
Fast forward 32 years and this event has become pretty well established.
The original one was as a fundraising event for Kettlewell Primary School, which has played a vital role in the community for generations, serving the local villages, isolated hamlets and remote farms of Upper Wharfedale.
There was no official trail around the village back then but residents were encouraged to create scarecrows depicting their profession, which included farmers of course, a doctor, decorator and an electrician up a ladder, with sparks fizzing from the fuse box, which became a favourite with visitors for many years.
Thanks to such an enthusiastic response from villagers, more and more scarecrows started to appear every year – in gardens and doorways, peeking over walls, clambering up drainpipes and popping up in every corner of the village.
Not surprisingly the fame of the festival started to spread further afield and soon visitors were arriving by the coach load to spot the scarecrows on a wander around this idyllic Yorkshire Dales village.
A spokesman for the organisers said: “We’ve had all kinds of themes for our two ‘official’ trails, with fun clues specially written for children or grown-ups – from pop stars to royalty and literary characters to the Olympics.
“We’ve seen a croft in the village transformed into a ski run, canoe course and cricket pitch of scarecrows, as well as a whole street filled with characters from the Wizard of Oz, Willy Wonker’s Chocolate Factory and the circus.”
They are delighted that Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival now welcomes thousands of visitors from far and wide.
Many have been coming back year after year – often first with their children and now with their grandchildren.
The spokesman said while the fundraising for Kettlewell School, the village hall and St Mary’s Church is needed as much as ever, it’s all the happy faces and positive feedback that still makes all the effort worthwhile.
3. Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival 2026
The two week Festival is a community-based festival that celebrates the creativity of the Yorkshire Dales village as it is brought to life with displays of both traditional and more modern scarecrows, including parodies of current affairs and celebrities. Photo: Ian Forsyth
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