Ripon's Market Square party is set for 31 December 2026, with Aftersun booked and music until 12.30am. Harrogate and Knaresborough have no public event.

The district’s public New Year’s Eve party is in Ripon Market Square on Thursday 31 December 2026, run by Ripon City Council. The council has booked the band Aftersun, which played last year, and agreed on police advice to keep the music going until 12.30am. Harrogate and Knaresborough have no public New Year’s Eve event announced.

The quick answer

  • Ripon Market Square, Thursday 31 December 2026, set by the city council’s events committee in January.
  • Booked so far: Aftersun and Jenny Jae, with music until 12.30am. Last year’s party had fireworks at midnight.
  • Start time and the fireworks for 2026 are not yet published. In 2024 the council advertised it from 9pm, with fireworks at midnight.

What Ripon City Council has decided

Everything below comes from the council’s own committee papers.

  • The date. The events committee on 12 January 2026 set New Year’s Eve for Thursday 31 December.
  • The music. The same meeting heard that Aftersun “were greatly received” at the 2025 party and agreed to rebook them, with a second act alongside. It also agreed the music should play until 12.30am, “as per advice from North Yorkshire Police”, to help with crowd control.
  • The acts. On 16 February 2026 the committee confirmed Aftersun and Jenny Jae for New Year’s Eve, and asked for quotes for an interactive DJ.
  • Where the stage goes. The stage will be on the east side of the Market Square. (For the Christmas lights switch-on on 14 November it goes on the west side, because market traders use the square by day.)
  • The money. The council’s September 2026 finance papers show a £20,000 New Year’s Eve budget, of which £1,000 had been spent, a payment to Tangerine Events for event entertainment on 6 August 2026.

Fireworks

The council’s review of last year’s event, in the January minutes, noted that the 2025 display needed “fireworks that are more projectile so that all views of the display are not obscured by buildings”. That tells you there was a midnight display last year, and that the council intends a better-seen one. It has not formally confirmed the 2026 display yet. The 2024 party was advertised on the council’s own news page as “live entertainment and a spectacular firework display at midnight”, from 9pm.

The January minutes also record two problems from last year that the council wants fixed: the main stage was not where the event plan put it, which narrowed the walking routes through the square, and the marshalling contractor’s clean-up fell short, so councillors cleared up themselves.

Harrogate and Knaresborough

Neither Harrogate Town Council nor Knaresborough Town Council has announced a public New Year’s Eve event. Harrogate’s festive money this year has gone to the Harrogate BID programme instead, as our Christmas lights page explains. That programme includes the Harrogate Ice Pavilion in Valley Gardens, open from 17 December to 3 January except Christmas Day, according to Harrogate BID’s August release; details are on our Christmas market page.

Getting home

Trains finish earlier than normal on some routes on New Year’s Eve, according to National Rail’s Christmas summary, and the late-night extras after midnight are London routes only. Last trains are published in late November or early December; we will add them to our Christmas trains page. Plan the bus or a taxi home before you go.

Still to be confirmed

  • The start time, the full line-up and the 2026 firework display.
  • Any road closures around Ripon Market Square on 31 December.
  • Last buses from Ripon to Harrogate on New Year’s Eve.

More: Christmas lights switch-on, Bonfire Night fireworks, parking in Harrogate and roadworks and travel.