After a vibrant summer filled with open-air dining, street food flavours, and community buzz, Spark is prepared to welcome the colder months. They took a brief pause to reinstall its signature winter roof cover, and to celebrate the reopening, the team planned a dynamic two-weekend relaunch festival. With the opening weekend wrapped up in style, all eyes now turn to the upcoming second weekend: a programme dedicated to local connection, storytelling, and community fundraising.
A new start: Autumn Menus & Weekend Wellbeing
The celebrations kicked off on Friday 18th September as Spark reopened its doors where visitors were treated to airbrush art courtesy of FacePaint York, while DJ Jonny Hooker set the opening-night tone with an eclectic live set at PicTap.
The launch also marked the debut of Spark’s new seasonal bar menus. Designed specifically for crisp autumn evenings, the cocktail lineup features warming creations like the Spiced Apple High-Ball, the indulgent Salted Caramel Espresso Martini, and a local favourite, the Yorkshire Bramble, served alongside a curated selection of fresh draught beers and an extensive low-and-no alcohol menu. Saturday morning began with free yoga led by Harriet, followed later by a Candlelit Sound Bath hosted by Cultivate Kindness. Molly Ovenden took up residence with her vintage typewriter, crafting bespoke on-the-spot poems, while chef George Cares took over the pop-up kitchen with a weekend-long residency of elevated sharing plates. The weekend finished on Sunday with free children’s craft workshops from Avocado Events, watercolour shell-painting classes, and impromptu photobooth sessions.
What’s On this Week?
If you missed the first weekend, don’t worry, the celebration continues this week. Starting this Friday, Spark shifts the spotlight toward meaningful local partnerships, cultural storytelling, and impactful fundraising.
Friday Night
Kick off the weekend at PicTap, where local favourite DJ Jono will be behind the decks dropping tunes to ease you into Friday evening. In the pop-up kitchen, guest trader Bee’s Khraw steps in to serve authentic, fragrant Thai street food dishes all weekend long.
Saturday: Film Screening & Fundraiser
On Saturday, Spark hosts a special double film screening and panel Q&A to raise essential funds for The Hanoon Foundation, an independent medical charity supporting healthcare workers and humanitarian relief:
- No Other Land (West Bank, 2025) – The acclaimed, award-winning documentary documenting Palestinian and Israeli activism and community resilience.
- Gaza (Dir. Garry Keane & Andrew McConnell, 2019) – An intimate, cinematic portrait of everyday life, dignity, and survival by the sea.
The screenings will be followed by a live Q&A panel featuring Manal Massalha (Urban Sociologist & Ethnographer) and Dr. Khaled Dawas (Consultant Surgeon at UCLH and Vice Chair of The Hanoon Foundation, who has led emergency frontline surgical missions in Gaza).
Sunday: Breathwork & Syrian Community Feast
To conclude the relaunch, Teapot Solidarity Space will host a guided breathwork and meditation circle on Sunday morning, offering a quiet, grounding space before the week ahead. Following the session, Waqif Arabian Kitchen takes over to prepare a traditional Syrian community feast. All proceeds from the session and meal go directly to support the medical and humanitarian aid projects of The Hanoon Foundation.
Board games, creative supplies, and crafting materials will remain out across the venue all evening, inviting everyone to linger, share a table, and catch up.
