Community spirit shines through at Pontefract Liquorice Festival following another successful year of HARIBO sponsorship

We have been back once again celebrating our local community and heritage at the Pontefract Liquorice Festival 2026!

Thousands of residents and visitors came together today as the Pontefract Liquorice Festival returned for another successful year, with HARIBO UK once again supporting this sweet celebration as the headline sponsor. Local schools, community groups and organisations from West Yorkshire all played their part in ensuring this year’s celebrations brought joy to all attending.

We joined festivalgoers in one of Yorkshire's most celebrated cultural events, offering visitors the chance to enjoy its iconic Pontefract Cakes and discover liquorice treats from around the world. Our iconic mascot, Goldbear, also made a welcome return, delighting crowds as he joined the parade from Pontefract Town Hall to Pontefract Castle. A firm favourite with visitors of all ages, Goldbear joined fellow performers throughout the day, bringing plenty of fun, smiles, and childlike happiness to all.

This year, local schools, clubs, and organisations helped bring the much-loved liquorice-themed parade to life. For the first time, the parade featured a live brass band and performances from local acts including the Wakey Wheeled Cats and Diamond Cheerleading; whose energy and creativity helped make the festival parade so special.

Visitors also enjoyed over 50 stalls showcasing local and regional produce, artisan food, drink, and handcrafted goods. Festivalgoers were also offered the chance to take part in creative workshops led by local Wakefield artist Holly Greenwood, making flags, and parade props throughout the day to add even more colour to the festivities.

Behind the scenes, volunteers, organisers, and local partners worked together to deliver another successful event, creating a warm welcome for thousands of visitors in glorious sunshine demonstrating the strength that comes from local partnerships.

The festival highlighted how the area’s historic connection to sweet-making and liquorice continues to bring generations together, welcoming returning and new visitors to celebrate one of Yorkshire's most distinctive traditions.

Our support for the festival reflects its long-standing investment in West Yorkshire, which it has proudly called home for 50 years. This includes the recent opening our new warehouse and a new production and packaging line in Castleford as part of a £35 million investment.

Tabea Powell, Head of Communications at HARIBO UK, said:

"Yet again the Pontefract Liquorice Festival did not disappoint - bringing thousands of visitors together to celebrate an iconic annual event, with Team HARIBO and Goldbear out in full force to bring childlike happiness to the celebrations. As a Yorkshire business that has proudly called the region home for more than 50 years, we're honoured to have supported the festival for a third consecutive year, and hope the parade, colourful stalls, and brilliant atmosphere created memories for visitors to cherish”

Yvette Cooper, MP for Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley, said:

“Fantastic day in Pontefract for our annual Liquorice festival. It’s a great celebration of our history and liquorice fields around Pontefract Castle. But it’s also a celebration of the local community and local businesses including our tradition of sweet manufacture through the generations.

Huge thanks to HARIBO - who still make the liquorice Pontefract cakes here in town - for supporting the event and making it a fun festival of sweets. Thank you to all the organisations who work so hard to make it a success. It’s great that so many local small businesses support the festival with everything from liquorice pork pies to liquorice gin and I confess, my favourite is the liquorice ice cream!

But most of all it is a lovely opportunity for the whole community to come together.”

Cllr Lukasz Borcz, Wakefield Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture and Sport, said:

"Today's festival is a testament to the passion, creativity, and dedication of our community. It would not have been possible if not for the volunteers, performers, and local organisations, schools, businesses, and everyone who played a part in making this year’s event such a success.

“Pontefract’s connection to liquorice is something we're incredibly proud of, and it's fantastic to see so many people coming together to celebrate that heritage while supporting the town.”