Whitby Swing Bridge closes for four days during Whitby Goth Weekend

Whitby Swing Bridge closed at 12 on Saturday 2 May during whitby goth weekend and will stay shut through Tuesday, May 5. North Yorkshire Council said buses will still use the bridge, but other traffic will not.

The council said, “This is to improve pedestrian safety at busy times.” It also said, “Additional barriers will be installed during these times.” The closure runs for four days while the biannual festival is well underway.

North Yorkshire Council closure

The bridge sits at a pivotal location at the heart of the festival area, and the council said that position could cause disruption during the event. For visitors arriving by road, the practical change is immediate: buses continue crossing, but other vehicles are turned away for the length of the closure.

The timing matters because the restriction covers the busiest stretch of the festival, from Saturday afternoon through Tuesday. That leaves the bridge operating under a narrower access setup than usual, with extra barriers in place during busy times.

Whitby Goth Weekend access

Whitby Goth Weekend is a biannual festival, so this closure falls during a recurring event rather than a one-off gathering. For drivers and festivalgoers, the main point is simple: the bridge is closed to most traffic now, and the route across remains open only to buses until Tuesday, May 5.

Anyone planning to move through the festival area has to work around that change for the next four days. The council’s access plan leaves public transport moving while reducing traffic across one of the town’s central crossing points.