If you can't find the answer you are after in our FAQs please feel free to contact us. Our volunteer team are happy to help if we can. Contact Us
Purchasing an advance ticket is a great way to get in to the Gala - you can save by buying in adavance and skip the queues. You can get your tickets from one of our many good causes as well as the following locations. If you buy them from one of our members they will get 50% with the rest helping to fund the cost of holding the Gala.
Buying your tickets in advance (whether through the website, via a member good cause or from a business outlet supporting the Gala) saves you up to 66% on gate prices! It can also save a lot of time queuing! So skip the queues and get straight in with your ticket.
All items are posted in around 2-3 days (usually less) using Royal Mail (2nd class up to 5 days before the event then first class). We do charge a small fee to cover postage, packaging and online platform costs but it is still cheaper than paying on the gate!
Manor Heath Road
Savile Park
Halifax
HX3 0EB
Beware a number of roads will be closed by the Grand Procession so look out for the signs and official route release some time in May.
For bus services or to learn how to get to Halifax by bus or train try Metro's Journery Planner.
Follow the procession route (signed) along Huddersfield Road, turn right at the traffic lights just before HSS. Left at the mini roundabout and then turn right at the bottom of Manor Heath Road. Free parking is available on the grassed area by the main entrance. The car park is the grassed area on the left - look out for the sign posts! Use the signed entrances to the car parks - we have had cars get stuck on the banks!
Take the A629 Calderdale Way To Halifax, continue past McDonalds and Shell petrol station and up Salterhebble Hill. Go straight on at the first set of traffic light at the top of the hill, past Calderdale Royal Hospital and at the next set of lights turn left. At the next set of lights turn right which will bring you to the bottom of the ground - be aware though that this road will be closed from around 12:30pm - 2pm for the procession! Continue to the next set of lights and turn right - the car park is the grassed area on the right. Look out for the sign posts which show the entrance - be careful as we have had cars get stuck on the banks!
Where the A58 and A646 meet at at the major junction (near Halifax Fire Station). Follow the A646 Skircoat Moor Road past the round about. At the mini round about continue straight on (2nd exit / righthand fork). At the traffic lights turn left and then your next right, the car park is the grassed area on the right. Look out for the signs posts! Use the signed entrances to the car parks - we have had cars get stuck on the banks!
We have ample FREE Parking on the grassed areas to the side of Manor Heath Road.
Please only enter the grassed areas at the signed points - please be aware that there are large ledges in places and vehicles have been known to get stuck!
Please do not park on the roadside.
Disabled parking is available near the top gate by the Manor Heath Park Main Entrance.
Please follow the event signs.
The Gala has an official opening when the procession arrives at the Gala ground between 12:00pm and 12:30pm. The ground is open from 11am, with most stalls / attractions being fully staffed once the procession arrives at Manor Heath. Often the volunteers on the procession will also man the stalls so please give the stalls chance and pop back if they are looking a little bit busy!
The procession sets off from Eureka car park at 11:30am and makes its way through the town. For this years route please click here. It will be posted once it has been agreed by our Procession Marshal with Calderdale Council and West Yorkshire Police.
The Gala does not have a formal closing time and Manor Heath will remain occupied until Sunday afternoon! Entertainment in the main arena normally draws to a close at 4:30pm and stalls will be packing up by 5pm (this is very dependent on the weather!). The fairground is normally the last to close and stays open until around 6:00pm.
The procession sets off from Eureka! car park at 11:30am and goes through Halifax town centre to Manor Heath around 12:30pm. Much of the route is signed. The full route is available by clicking here. Some road closures are in place from 6AM so look out for our advance warning signs in the town. Most road closures though are only in place while the processions passes, please be patient and follow the instuction of our volunteers who are working hard to minimise disruption and keep everyone safe.
We will work with West Yorkshire Police, Calderdale Council, all Halifax bus companies, Taxi Companies and our traffic team to minimise disruption.
Firstly, please consider that the Halifax Charity Gala is an expensive event to stage. However, it still allows local good causes to raise some £25,000 between them!
The committee collect money to pay for the event in a number of ways. The committee however are not there to raise funds directly. The committee stage the event to allow good causes to raise funds for themselves.
Through ticket sales (50% of advanced tickets the other 50% goes to the good cause that is selling the ticket and 100% on the gate tickets), sponsorship and advertising the committee raises a significant sum which is used to fund the necessary road closures, toilet hire and other such requirements that the event needs to operate. We also have income from private companies on the gala ground and in the procession which is used to distribute between our member causes. The committee retains a reserve fund so that if for any reason we have a bad year we are still able to put on the Gala in years to come. That aside, once the bills have been paid, any surplus is distributed between the Member Organisations.
Not a single penny is paid to the Committee - all work is voluntary and all surplus is donated to our member causes.
Although the committee stage the event, the charities and good causes make it happen and make it the success that it is each and every year. The committee are there to serve the Member Organisations.
The Committee have previously agreed to offer incentives to Member Organisations via the distribution of general funds made on the day. The distribution is increased for organisations that:
Once the above have been calculated, the remainder is distributed equally meaning that on the whole every active organisation gets a good portion of the distribution from the general fund.
The Committee does reserve the right to deduct an agreed fee from a members distribution if they have not followed the rules of the event however the committee only do this as a last resort and try to work with the member to reduce this risk.
There are two answers to this:
Then as long as they have there own collection licence from Calderdale MBC (which almost all Member Organisations do!) they keep all the money given to them, just like they keep all the money taken on the stall and 50% of all money taken through advanced ticket sales (this is before distribution!).
Then they are collecting for the Halifax Charity Gala Committee, and are supporting the event by either making a donation or providing a service in exchange for taking part in the procession. Some people see the money that goes to the committee as lost but this is not the case as it is distributed back to Member Organisations. See the FAQ - "What happens to the surplus made by the Halifax Charity Gala Committee?"
Although our sole objective is to benefit certain charities and good causes within Calderdale, we are not a charity ourselves. We are an Event Organiser and our remit is to stage an annual gala providing a forum for local charities and good causes to raise funds and their own profile. In doing this we also hope to provide a great day out for the people of Calderdale and beyond.
It is worth repeating that the HCG committee members are all unpaid volunteers. Furthermore, it is not the remit of the HCG to make a profit itself but aims to do so both as a bonus for the members and as a safeguard against loss. Every penny raised is either used to fund the next gala or split between each of the member organisations.
If you wish to tender for a plot you can do so when applications open. You can register your interest and when the applications open we will let you know. Please click here to apply / register your interest. We do have a limited amount of space at Manor Heath and our charities always get priority. We then provide plots to companies with so many for each type of business.
In recent years we introduced our Bazaar which is growing year on year and is promoted as our own little outdoor market. We want the bazaar to continue to grow so if you have a business that you think is the right fit for a bazaar please do apply. The same requirements apply to a trade stall as to our other conessions i.e Minimum £5m public liability, risk assesment etc. We have had various stalls over the last couple of years from fudge and chocolate to clothing and acccesories even perfume and hand made crafts we love seeing the bazaar grow. To apply / register your interest please click here.
All organisations attending must provide the committee with evidence they have valid public liability insurance min £5m, up to date risk assessments and any other statutory requirement (e.g safety / hygiene certificates). Our concessions team will request all paperwork electronically and will send you an agreement once you have been accepted. Please note our concessions team is solely volunteer run so there is sometimes a delay in your application being accepted. We also try to wait for as many applications to come in as possible so the team can ensure we are selecting the best that is available to us.
If you believe you are a good fit for our event please do apply / register for more information.
Some companies wish to attend to support a particular good cause. We have in the past allowed companies to do this splitting the profits between their good cause and our good causes. Again contact us with details of what you wish to do and who you would like to support.
All organisations attending must provide the committee with evidence they have valid public liability insurance, up to date risk assessments and any other statutory requirement (e.g safety / hygiene certificates).
If you think you have something to offer us please visit the contact us page and select Concessions as the subject of your message.
We have some very good ties with local companies for a lot the equipment and services we need for the gala. In addition we also engage in three year contracts with many suppliers in order to get the best deals. We therefore are only required to look at certain suppliers each year. You can review the dates below and contact us post gala the year the contract expires and you will be considered. Expiry dates marked as N/A are where we are supported by a local company in a deal we do not wish to improve on (probably free).
Service / Equipment |
Contract Expires |
| Skips / Waste Management | N/A |
| Printing | Year by year - 2023 |
| Radio Hire | Year by year - 2023 |
| Toilets Hire | Year by year - 2023 |
| Marquee Hire | Year by year - 2023 |
| Tables and Chairs Hire | Year by year - 2023 |
| Fire Extinguishers | N/A |
| Security | Year by year - 2023 |
| First Aid | Year by year - 2023 |
| Traffic management | Year by year - 2023 |
| Vehicle Hire | Year by year - 2023 |
Normally only members can attend the gala however, we will allow a 'try before you buy' at £50 to prospective good causes (which is deducted from the joining fee should they decide to go for full membership). The good cause would need to meet the joining requirements and be approved by the committee. Should you then wish to join in subsequent years we will count this payment towards the joining fee.
Please do register your interest in advance for us to present at one of our meetings for approval and to ensure we have the chance to explain the full process to yourselves. If you wish to know more please email us at [email protected]
Then apply to join. All applications have to be approved by our committee as a formality.
The benefit to the people of Halifax or wider Calderdale area is usualy fairly direct although our longest active good cause is the Calderdale RNLI. We don't have a life boat stationed in Calderdale but many of us will go to the seaside on holiday and the committee of some 60 years ago accepted this. If you have a similar tenuous connection we will consider all requests.
We love to welcome new members and in recent years have been seeing this number increase at a higher rate and we would love to continue to support as many of you as we can so please get in contact. [email protected]
The joining fee is £250. Many charities make this back in the first year (payment can be made after gala day if required by prior agreement). You can also try a year for £50, you can keep any money you take on the stall, procession and 50% of advanced ticket sales. You will need to have paid the full joining fee to be entitled to receive any distribution.
Members decide how much they wish to spend on stalls and floats and vary vastly. You will need public liability insurance min £5m. The committee do offer an 'insurance' to members against loss for new stalls or activities to encourage members to try something different. Ask for more information if this could be of interest. You still get to keep your share of the ticket money and procession takings.
We support any good cause that meets the above requirments and is accepted as a member. We do not seekout good causes nor do we make grants, however our friends at Community Foundation For Calderdale do. If you know of a charity you think should be benefiting from the gala, please ask them to get in touch by emailing [email protected]
Please email [email protected] and put Becoming a Member as the subject and tell us who you are, what you do, where you do it and if its not already answered tell us your connection to Calderdale.
If you wish to send a reporter and/or photographer to capture the events of the day, please email [email protected] in advance so that we can allocate complementary wristbands giving access to the ground.
Our releases are emailed to the news desks of all local radio stations, primary broadcast television studios & printed newspapers, in addition to named reporters & producers where we hold their details. To be added to our distribution list, please email [email protected].