Harrogate has four well-established international ‘twinning’ partnerships in four different countries.

In 2023, all four relationships reached significant milestones.

Visitors to the Harrogate Spring Flower Show in April 2023 were able to see a specially designed Community Garden organised by HIP, which celebrated these links and anniversaries. 

A very colourful and eye-catching exhibit, it was based around a four-sided obelisk, with each side giving details of one of the four twin towns, along with themed planting appropriate for the country concerned. The judges were also impressed, as it received a gold award! And Mayor Alex Nuttall of Barrie Ontario was able to visit and admire it for himself.

Harrogate has a longstanding reputation as a welcoming town for international visitors. Going back at least two centuries, visitors have come both from Europe and beyond to ‘take the waters’ and to participate in its vibrant cultural and recreational scene. The tradition is being maintained through Harrogate International Festivals and Harrogate International Partnerships.

BAGNÈRES DE LUCHON, FRANCE – twinning established 1953

Bagnères de Luchon is a Spa town situated in the foothills of the Pyrenees, 90km SW of Toulouse.
Celebrations in 2023 marked the 70th anniversary of Harrogate’s twinning with Luchon.

For the last ten years, Harrogate has participated in Luchon’s ‘Fete des Fleurs’, a traditional flower festival with musical bands, dancers and decorated floats. A Harrogate float has often featured, decorated with thousands of flower heads by volunteers and students from Harrogate, while in recent years the Tewit Silver Band has become a star attraction performing in the parade and staging a series of other concerts which have wowed the locals.

Luchon is the perfect holiday destination for walking, cycling, golfing and skiing, and is situated just 10 kilometres from the Spanish border.

MONTECATINI TERME, ITALY – twinning established 1963

The Spa town of Montecatini Terme in Tuscany is a UNESCO world heritage site. It has a rich cultural life based on its Spa heritage and music. Harrogate established a link in 1962, and formalised it a year later.

2023 celebrated 60 years of friendship. In 2022 Harrogate’s Tewit Youth Band made a highly successful visit there, performing a series of outdoor and concerts. Efforts to create links with hospitality and educational establishments are continuing, as Harrogate and Montecatini have much in common.

Easily accessible by flying to Pisa, Montecatini sits on the main train line between Pisa, Lucca and Florence and is a perfect base for exploring the region as well as other parts of Tuscany. It is also known for its funicular railway, which climbs to the charming medieval village of Montecatini Alto, just above the town.

WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND – friendship links from 1953

Links with Wellington were formed as a consequence of World War 2, when a large number of New Zealand aircrew were billeted in and around Harrogate. Sadly, many lost their lives and 23 are laid to rest in Harrogate’s Stonefall Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery, four of whom are from Wellington. The capital city of New Zealand has only one twinning link in the UK – and that is Harrogate.

Harrogate Borough Council gifted a mace to Wellington City Council in 1953 to honour the servicemen’s memory, which is still in use to this day, so 2023 celebrated 70 years of friendship. A formal ‘sister-city’ relationship was established in 1978.

Other links include the New Zealand Garden within Valley Gardens in Harrogate, which contains plants, trees and other items supplied from Wellington including a Māori Pou Whenua carving. A new stone Māori Pikorua sculpture was added in 2023 when the garden was refurbished and planting refreshed.

At Stonefall, ANZAC day is now commemorated annually.

BARRIE, CANADA – twinning established 2013

The City of Barrie, Ontario is Harrogate’s most recent twinning, but its origins date back two centuries.
Barrie is named after Admiral Sir Robert Barrie, who played a significant role in the creation of modern Canada. He married into the Ingilby Family of Ripley Castle and is buried in the Ingilby family vault in Ripley Parish Church.

A twinning relationship was formed on 7th June 2013. In 2023 we celebrated ten years since the formal signing at Ripley Castle, and the 7th June is now officially ‘Sir Robert Barrie Day’ in Barrie. Each year on that day, Harrogate and Barrie fly each other’s flags, marking a close friendship despite being nearly 3,500 miles apart.

Barrie is a fast growing city, around 55 miles from central Toronto with good transport connections and a lovely lakeside waterfront location dominated by its famous Spirit Catcher statue.