Love to Be festival

Love to Be returns to The Stray on Saturday 4 September 2027, running from 12:00pm to 11:00pm. It's a house music festival that's become a regular on the Harrogate calendar, and the 2027 edition is billed as the biggest end-of-summer house music festival in the region.

There's a fair bit of history behind the name. Love to Be traces its roots back to the Sheffield house scene of the 1990s, when Tony Walker and Marc Dennis — the duo Trimtone — co-founded the event in 1994. It built its reputation on legendary parties at the Music Factory on London Road, booking acts like Frankie Knuckles and Basement Jaxx as the rave scene moved into more grown-up venues. Now an international house music brand, it's spent 33 years throwing parties around the world before settling at The Stray.

On the day, the production runs across three stages, with house music at the centre. It's not just about the DJs, though — there are dancers, stilt walkers and fire breathers mixed in. One thing to keep in mind is that it's strictly for over-18s, run under a Challenge 25 policy, so you'll need your ID on you. The organisers also commit to a large-scale post-event cleanup and waste recycling, and the festival supports local causes: the 2027 edition is backing Just B, a bereavement and emotional wellbeing service.

So, it's a full day of house music on The Stray, from midday through to 11:00pm on Saturday 4 September. If you're planning on going, just remember to bring your ID.