A TWO-month long arts festival has been launched to mark the Yorkshire’s new international cycle race.

The Tour de Yorkshire Festival will run until the Tour de Yorkshire cycle race starts on May 3, and will have at least 200 performances and exhibitions taking place all over the county.

Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire, said: “As we saw in last year’s incredible Yorkshire Festival, our county has an amazing array of art and culture, and the Tour de Yorkshire Festival is the perfect platform for artists of all kinds to show off their talents.”

The Tour de Yorkshire Festival has been made possible with support from Arts Council England, T and R Theakston Brewers of Masham, and commercial gas supplier CNG among others.

For a full programme visit tourdeyorkshirefestival.com