As we say goodbye to 2018 and hello to 2019, many of us will be "seeing the new year in" as the bells chime out over London and the rest of the world. 

 

There are a number of traditions that we stick to so we can celebrate a brand new year! 

 

For example, singing Auld Land Syne … we all do it, but why? Written by Scottish poet Robert Burns in 1788, this New Year tune is set to the musical notes of a traditional folk song. 

 

Singing this song usually entails a linking of hands or arms with anyone close to you.  

 

This New Year tradition began north of the border, but is now popular across the British Isles and beyond. 

While we can’t guarantee snow on the ground, we can promise festive fun is in the air at Whitby Christmas Festival, Friday 16th, Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th November. 

 

Have your Christmas stockings ready from 5pm from Friday 16th when this much-loved annual event begins. 

 

Taking place in the Front Marina Car Park overlooking the harbour and with Whitby Abbey in full view, there will be three days of stalls, the Lantern Parade, a spectacular fireworks display and a visit from Santa himself. 

It’s all aboard for the North Yorkshire Moors Railway this Autumn. 

 

With a number of events taking place, you can indulge in your love of steam trains, step onto the footplate and get 'on track' with the story of this heritage railway! 

 

Did you know the railway is one of the earliest in the north of England and was built (in part) when Whitby’s traditional trades of whaling, alum working and shipbuilding were all in decline. 

August … time for the high season, scorching skies … and Whitby Regatta (11th, 12th & 13th August 2018). 

 

This year will mark the 178th event, which is thought to be one of the oldest of its kind along the Yorkshire Coast. The harbour will be bustling with boats; the streets will be thronged with people and the atmosphere should be fantastic. And there'll be a guest appearance from the Red Arrows! We would like to thank Neil Silk for allowing us to use some of his fabulous images featured in this blog. Thank you, Neil! 

Captain James Cook’s connection to Whitby, Staithes and the Yorkshire Coast is well known, and from 6th to 8th July inclusive, the Cook 250 Whitby and Staithes Festival will celebrate the 250th anniversary of his first voyage to the distant South Seas. 

 

His first voyage was aboard HMS Endeavour, a replica of which is currently moored in Whitby Harbour. Cook’s maiden maritime quest lasted from 1768 to 1771 and part of the voyage was to observe a rare astronomical occurrence: the transit of Venus across the face of the sun in 1769. 

 

The voyage visited distant lands including Borabora and New Zealand, and later reached the east coast of Australia.