A TEAM from the Tour de France will join about 2,000 people and businesses at a major free event in Yorkshire.

Welcome to Yorkshire’s annual Y conference will this year focus on the Grand Départ of the race, which is coming to the region in July.

The event on March 27 will see the start of Yorkshire Festival 2014 - the first ever arts festival to precede the Tour de France - and the Grand Départ Legacy project launch.

Leading local cyclists are also expected to attend alongside Tour director Christian Prudhomme at the chat show-style event at Harrogate International Centre from 10.45am.

It will also see Yorkshire singer-songwriter Alistair Griffin perform his new song, commissioned by Welcome to Yorkshire, which will be the official anthem of the Grand Départ.

Welcome to Yorkshire chief executive Gary Verity said: “Since 2009, our Y events have heralded the start of the tourism season to help invigorate and galvanise the Yorkshire tourism industry.

“But never before have we had the pleasure of telling people that the world’s largest annual sporting event will be coming to our doorstep in just a few months’ time and the eyes of the entire world will be on Yorkshire.”

People from across Yorkshire can register for their free ticket at yorkshire.com/Y14