About

Pontefract Liquorice Festival is back – and what a sweet treat it is! Get ready for a confectionary-themed bonanza celebrating Pontefract’s historic link with liquorice.


Pontefract Liquorice Festival is a firm family favourite with something for everyone including a speciality food and drink market, street entertainment, live music, heritage talks and much more!


Pontefract Liquorice Festival is sponsored by HARIBO.




Food & Drink Market


There will be 60 traders selling everything from Liquorice gin to jams, chutneys, bakes, and cakes! 




Liquorice Parade


Times TBC, Cornmarket (Starting at Haribo Factory)


Enjoy the colour and spectacle of the HARIBO-themed parade with colourful costumes and their iconic mascot Goldbear leading the way!




Street Food


There are 8 fantastic street food vendors selling a range of sweet treats, hot food and drinks: A Taste of Italy Ice Cream, Wakefield Hospice, Really Awesome Coffee, Dinky Donuts, CC’s Ices, Istanbul Grill, and R & J Catering. 




Entertainment


There will be children’s funfair rides*, stage entertainment hosted by Rhubarb Radio with a range of local artists performing, face-painting, buskers performing down Ropergate and street entertainment from festival favourites Lucy Liquorice and Liquorice Cake!


*Please note funfair rides are not free.




Workshop: Candy Creations!


10am-4pm, Cornmarket 


Join a fun, creative hands-on art experience celebrating the rich heritage of liquorice in Pontefract! 


Participants will use watercolours to paint a bespoke wooden shape which can be engraved with ‘Liquorice Festival 2025’. Each participant will leave with their own painted wooden liquorice allsorts piece, complete with hanging ribbon and paper sweet bag as a keepsake from the day.  




Workshop: Liquorice Lanes


10am-4pm, Salter Row 


This interactive floor art activity invites children and families to join in using bright chalks to decorate the ground with liquorice-inspired drawings.  


There will be a range of pre-drawn sweet outlines directly on the ground (allsorts, Pontefract cakes, ropes, etc.) for children to colour in, as well as the option for people to freely create their own inventions! 




Workshop: Bubbles


Time TBC, Pontefract Castle 


Have a go at creating thousands of bubbles, some the largest you have ever seen with a range of bubble wands and gadgets! 


Access facilities

  • Accessible Toilet
  • Assistance Dogs Welcome
  • Step Free Access
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Venue Details

Find us at

Town Centre Precinct, Pontefract, WF8 1BD