About Hebden Bridge Burlesque Festival:

Hebden Bridge Burlesque Festival was the lovechild of Burlesque performers & producers, Lady Wildflower and Heidi Bang Tidy. Curated in 2013, together they produced 7 festivals until Heidi retired from HBBF in 2019 and Wildflower continued solo.

Lady Wildflower is one of the UK's most respected and applauded Burlesque & Cabaret producers. She produced her first show, The Frou Frou Club, at Hebden Bridge Little Theatre in October 2011. Since then, The Frou Frou Club has had regular sold-out shows at HBLT as well as at Todmorden Hippodrome and in Ramsbottom, Rawtenstall, Manchester and Grimsby and has starred some of the most critically acclaimed burlesque & cabaret performers from all over the world.

In 2013, Wildflower joined forces with Heidi Bang Tidy to produce the innaugral Hebden Bridge Burlesque Festival. Now in it's 12th year, Wildflower has produced the award-winning festival solo since 2020. HBBF was named "Best Burlesque Event" at the 2016 Burlesque Awards. The 4 day event the takes place in the Calderdale Valley, West Yorkshire, every Early May Bank Holiday weekend and features international headliners flown in from all over the world as well as local and national talent. In addition to several diverse shows, the festival includes multiple workshops, events, talks and happenings. 
Between 2013 & 2015, Wildflower and Bang Tidy also co-produced the Green Eggs & Glam Revue at Manchester's Dance House theatre, Dr Sketchy's Hebden Bridge and Champagne & Showgirls in Bradford and Halifax. 

Over the past 14 years, Lady Wildflower has also been commissioned to create bespoke Burlesque shows for events such as FEVA Festival in Knaresborough and venues such as Albert's Schloss in Manchester, Liverpool & Birmingham, Escape to Freight Island in Manchester, GRUB in Manchester, The Whip & Kitten in Rawtenstall and The Mess Room in Skipton as well as music festivals, vintage events and parties.

Over 200 different performers have appeared at HBBF since 2013. Some of the world's biggest burlesque headliners have graced the HBBF stages over the years including Medianoche, Kitten DeVille, Jett Adore, Perle Noire, Inga, Anna Fur Laxis and Bettie Bombshell to name a few. 
In 2016, HBBF was awarded the "Best Event" award at the UK Burlesque Awards and is considered one of the most respected Burlesque events in the European Burlesque calendar by performers and audiences alike. 
In 2016 and 2017, Hebden Bridge Burlesque Festival was awarded Arts Council Funding. As the only Burlesque weekender in the UK to receive such funding, it was a stamp of approval for both the Festival and the artform itself. 

2025 marks the 12th year of Hebden Bridge Burlesque Festival. What started as relatively small 2 day event has grown to be one of the biggest events of it's kind in Europe.

HBBF was born in Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire. Hebden Bridge is known for it's bohemian spirit and creativity. With its independent boutiques, organic cafes and independent art galleries set amongst the beautiful, quintessentially British cobbled streets and rolling wooded hills. Hebden Bridge has been labelled "The Greatest Town in Europe", "The 4th Funkiest Town in the World" and "The Lesbian Capital of the UK". HBBF is one of the town's many fabulous festivals, including the Happy Valley Pride, Hebden Bridge Arts Festival and the Handmade Parade. 
Over the years, the festival has spread to bigger venues outside of Hebden Bridge. The Gala moved to Todmorden Hippodrome in 2014, and by 2022, the entire festival had moved to Todmorden - another hub of creativity which is home to the famous Golden Lion pub, The Todmorden Folk Festival and our home, Todmorden Hippodrome - the UK's largest community run theatre. However, we made the decision to keep our name and strong brand of Hebden Bridge Burlesque Festival. After all, we're only 4 miles down the road!

If you are looking for a healthy portion of fabulous, featuring some of the best performers from the world of burlesque and alternative cabaret, served up with a great big dollop of Yorkshire hospitality, then Hebden Bridge Burlesque Festival is the place to be.