Supported by 
Supported by
This Is The North · Convention 2026
"Do With"
Creating a North that's GREAT for everyone
A one-day gathering where the North does it with people, not to them - Deep Wells, High Ambitions.
A North powered by people
Communities, leaders and changemakers from across the North, together for one high-energy day - drawing on Scarborough's 400-year tradition of healing waters to show that connection, culture and collective power are the medicine we need.
Tapping into lived experience, local knowledge and community wisdom - and listening to the voices too often unheard.
Bold ideas for a thriving, inclusive North. Reimagining the systems, services and power that shape everyday life.
A North built on five promises:
The shape of the conversation
The day is built as three Acts, each pairing a main panel with a choice of workshops - opened by community voices and closing with the North celebrating itself. The question running through all of it: are we creating a Greater North for everyone?
We call them Acts as a nod to theatre in the round - the staging form pioneered in Scarborough at the Stephen Joseph Theatre - and the Forum Theatre piece that opens the day at 09:45 follows the same method.
"Whose North is it anyway - is everyone gaining power and a stake, or are we reorganising the same old hierarchies?"
Beyond consultation theatre: what genuine power-sharing actually looks like, and how communities and institutions can close the gap between them.
"Is illness prevention possible - and if so, what does it look like? What's stopping it becoming commonplace?"
The North carries a disproportionate burden of poor health - but people across the region are building models that genuinely work: neighbourhood-led, community-rooted, prevention-first.
"Are we still making the case for culture - and if so, what does that case sound like in 2026?"
Culture isn't a luxury the North can't afford - it's the connective tissue that makes everything else work. The case made loudly, then the practical question: what does pan-northern cultural infrastructure look like?
Hour by hour
A draft running order for Tuesday 15 September. Community voices open the day; everything else comes second.
Hosted by Scarborough Town Council. Contributors and cultural leaders connect the night before.
Arrive at the main entrance, grab a coffee and make yourself at home.
People's Powerhouse film, Chair's welcome, housekeeping and lightning introductions.
The York & North Yorkshire Mayor, or Deputy Mayor, welcomes delegates to Scarborough.
A Forum Theatre performance, cognitive-dissonance film and Q&A. Community voices open the day.
A short breather before Act 1.
Panel 1 (11:00 to 12:00): Who's North Is It Anyway - creating a North that's GREAT for everyone. Then the Act 1 workshops (12:00 to 13:00).
Wishing Well open. Community Catalyst space and creative activations throughout.
Take part in Legislative Theatre, go for a sea swim or a coastal walk, play games, relax, network or join a cultural workshop - you design how to spend your two hours.
Panel 2 (15:45 to 16:45): What does it take to start well, live well and age well? Then the Act 2 workshops (16:45 to 17:45).
Panel 3 (15:45 to 16:45): Use or Ornament, 30 years on - are we still making the case for culture? Then the Act 3 workshops (16:45 to 17:45).
What did we hear? What are we taking forward? Delegate reflections gathered from the central well.
Evening celebration and networking - culture, performance, food and community, through to 9.30pm.
The voices on the day
Confirmed contributors for the convention. More to be announced as the line-up is finalised.
A special invitation
This is more than a convention - it's the continuation of a movement, and we're building it with people. We're looking for contributors, performers and partners to bring the North's cultural life into the room.
Bring expertise, community knowledge or lived experience to one of our panel conversations.
Hold a room and help groups produce something actionable. Many sessions need facilitators.
Propose a performance, installation or immersive moment for the Culture Zone or Evening Celebration.
Creative encounters and participatory moments running alongside the main programme all day.
A curated reflective space where delegates deposit ideas and commitments. We want an artist to design it.
The North celebrating itself - performance, music, food and art. A cultural event in its own right.
Where & how
A Victorian grand hall on the South Bay - symbolic, grand, and exactly right for a convention themed around deep wells and healing waters.
South Bay, Scarborough, YO11 2HD
The Great Hall plus breakout spaces throughout the building, on the seafront where Scarborough's spa story began. Step off the train and you're a short walk from the door.
Explore the Great Hall and the South Bay seafront in 360° before you arrive.
Virtual tour by Your360, courtesy of Scarborough Spa.
It starts before September
The convention doesn't begin on 15 September. A series of online conversations runs in the months before, bringing many of the same voices into the room early. Free to watch, any time.
In conversation with Michael Marmot.
In conversation with Cormac Russell.
Turning voices into change, with Andrew Forsey OBE & Greta Defeyter OBE.
In conversation with Prof. Mark Tewdwr-Jones.
Good lives. Real opportunity. Equity. Agency. Togetherness. This is the North - and it's being built with you.
🎟️ Register your place at Scarborough Spa