Frequently Asked Questions
Here you can find answers to frequently asked questions about booking, what to expect at the venue, online events and anything else.
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Booking
When and how can I book my tickets?
Friends priority booking opens Wednesday 21 August, 10am
General ticket sales open Tuesday 27 August, 10am
Book online: ilkleylitfest.org.uk
Book by phone: 01943 816714
Wednesday 21 August – Thursday 4 October:
– Mon-Fri: 10am-4pm, Sat & Sun: Closed
Friday 5 – Sunday 20 October:
– Mon-Sun: 12pm-4pm, Sat & Sun: 10am-12pm
What concessions do you offer?
We offer concessions to the following people (proof of status will be required):
- Students in full-time education, children and people under 25
- People in receipt of disability or employment benefits
Concessionary prices are stated after the full price for each event, e.g. £12/£9
Why can’t I buy my tickets at The Grove Bookshop this year?
We are operate reserved seating and therefore tickets must be allocated by our central Box Office. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
What happens if the event is cancelled?
Where possible we will try to reschedule the event. If this is not possible, bookers will be eligible for a full refund of the ticket price. All refunds will be made after the festival (from Monday 21 October).
Can I buy a ticket on the door? Can I still collect my tickets at the venue?
It will be possible to purchase tickets on the door at events, subject to availability. Please check the website to see if tickets remain available before travelling to the venue to avoid disappointment.
It is not longer possible to opt to collect physical tickets from venues, instead an e-ticket option is available.
I’ve bought an e-ticket ticket. What do I do now?
Please bring your e-ticket to the venue either printed or on a phone or tablet.
An event is sold out. Do you have a waiting list?
Yes, we will be operating waiting lists this year. If an event has sold out, please inform the Box Office operator that you wish to be placed on the waiting list.
Ticket returns are relatively rare. Please be aware that having your name on the waiting list does not guarantee that a ticket will become available.
Can I return tickets?
The Box Office can only accept other tickets for resale if an event has sold out. We will try to resell tickets for sold out events, but we offer no guarantee that we will be able to do so. Refunds for successfully resold returned tickets will be made after the Festival and will be subject to a 10% handling fee.
Why have I been allocated a seat number?
We have introduced reserved seating at our venues.
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At the Venue
What time should I arrive at the venue and will I have to queue?
Doors will open 30 minutes before and will close promptly two minutes before the advertised start time. Please check travel times and allow extra time for parking to avoid disappointment as it is not possible for latecomers to be admitted in certain circumstances.
Parking info:
The main central Car Park in Ilkley can be found on South Hawksworth Street – LS29 9DX.
Smaller Car Parks can be found on Railway Road – LS29 8HP and Wharfe View Road – LS29 8DY.
For long stay on street parking, head to: Bridge Lane, Castle Road, Chapel Lane, Chantry Drive, Cowpasture Road, Grove Road, Kings Road, New Brook Street, Railway Road, Weston Road, Wharfe View Road.
Travel: There are regular buses and trains from Ilkley to Leeds and Bradford. Ilkley lies on the A65 between Leeds and Skipton.
Will there be a Q&A?
Q&As will take place at the end of most events.
Will there be a book signing?
Most authors choose to participate in book signings after the event. If the author chooses not to participate in a book signing, copies of the book will still be available to purchase from our official festival bookseller, The Grove Bookshop.
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Online Events
How do I watch events online?
More information about our online events can be found here.
What is the difference between your live-streamed and pre-recorded digital events?
In-person events taking place at All Saints’ Church will also be live-streamed, meaning you will be able to watch the events from the comfort of your own home. Bookers will be able to view these events for up to 72 hours after they are live-streamed.
Pre-recorded events will be broadcast on the day advertised and bookers will be able to watch these events on demand for up to 72 hours after first broadcast.
More information about the live-streamed and pre-recorded digital events can be found here.
I’ve booked for an online event but haven’t been sent a link.
Bookers will be sent the link to the event one day before it is scheduled to take place, and will also receive a reminder 15 minutes before the event start time.
If you purchase your ticket within 24 hours of the event, you will receive the event link 15 minutes before the start time.
The online event has started but it’s not working. What should I do?
If you have received the link to one of our online events but are having trouble, please read our troubleshooting guide. If this does not work, please contact the Box Office on 01943 816714 or boxoffice@ilkleylitfest.org.uk.
I don’t need captions for online events. Why can’t I turn off captioning?
The platform we use to broadcast our pre-recorded digital events does not support closed captioning. To make our events accessible to those who do require captions, we burn the captions into our videos.
Why isn’t there captioning for live-streamed events?
The platform that we use to live-stream events does not have the ability to generate automatic captions. We are committed to exploring other options in the future. Transcripts of live-streamed events will be available upon request from Monday 21 October. Email info@ilkleylitfest.org.uk to request the transcript.
Why can’t I watch all events online?
All Saints’ Church invested in their own digital infrastructure, enabling us to live-stream events taking place at this venue. Unfortunately, our other partner venues do not currently have these facilities in place. We hope to work with other partner venues to extend this provision in the future.
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General
How can I support the Festival?
Thank you for supporting the Festival! You can support the Festival by making a donation or by becoming a Friend of the Festival. In return, Friends of the Festival receive exclusive benefits including an invitation to our friends reception and priority booking.
Support the Festival!