Festival Reports 2011

This page is part of the festivals section.

This years major festival reveiws:

Braunstone Carnival | Caribbean Carnival 2011 | Download 2011 | Glastonblaby Festival 2011 | Glastonbudget 2011 | Indian Summer 2011 | Leicester Fringe Festival 2011 | Leciester Mela 2011 | Leicester Pride 2011 | Oxjam 2011 | Seahorse Festival 2011 | Strawberry Fields 2011 | Summer Sundae 2011

Other festival reviews

Manor Arts | Sileby Summer Jam | Eyres Monsell | St. George's day | Spark Childrens Arts |

Braunstone turns out for a bumper carnival on Saturday 2nd July

Artists on the stage of the Braunstone Carnival got to perform to a crowd of over a thousand people. Read our report and see who was on stage.

Manor Arts festival offered lots to choose from, Saturday 25th June

Bands, singers, dancers, DJs, drummers, magicians ... The Manor Arts festival had them all. artsIn was there to cover the day and he is our report.

Summer Jam at Sileby, Saturday 18th June

By Paul Mitchell

Jam-packed with local music talent! It was a 'Sileby Summer Jam' packed full of live music last Saturday with 14 live bands and acts performing at the first of what is hoped many, outside live music events at Sileby Conservative Club.

The Boobytraps playing at the Sileby Festival

Almost 300 people enjoyed a full day of live local bands with outside staging and family BBQ. The event was the brainchild of Stuart Price and 103 The Eye FM's DJ Big 'E' Ian Bott who laid on the event with support from all the staff and committee at Sileby Conservative Club.

The day went without hitch and even the weather could not hold back the enthusiasm and support from all those who attended. Music started with Leicester indie band The Chizzits taking to the stage at noon, followed by several solo acts- including Dave Jackson, and Mick Ridgeway. The evening saw the youngest band to perform at this year's Glastonbudget Festival, Vengeance who took to the stage as the sun went down.

A great set from Leicester's soft rockers Ferris included their new charity single Children Of Promise (available at iTunes from Sat 2nd July and all proceeds gto to Wish Upon A Star)

The night was closed by Leicester's four piece indie rockers The BoobyTraps who smashed a 45min set plus encore to the rapturous applause of the crowd. The band themselves are set to break out to a bigger audience with music now available at iTunes and gig dates in Liverpool, North Wales and the North East, as well as some smaller regional festivals. The 'Traps are definitely a band to watch for in the future, having been described as 'The next best thing to come from Leicester since Kasabian.' The band hails from the city and its members are: Jamie Williams (lead vocal and guitar), Scott Laywood, (lead guitar and backing vocals), Lewis Austin Barrett, (bass guitar) and Seb Kedziora (drums.)

Co-organiser and DJ and presenter 'Big E' hailed the event a "storming success." "Today has been a good day for local live music and talent, we can't wait to put on another show" Big E said. So for those live music lovers, keep an eye and ear out for future Sileby events to come!

See our feature article on The Boobytraps. You can see the Boobytraps again on the 30th July at the Donkey in Welford Road.

See Vengeance playing at the Sileby Festival. You can see them again on Sat 9th July 2011 at The George and Dragon, Broughton Astley, 7.00 pm.

Eyres Monsell Family Fun Day, Saturday 4th June

A fun day out for families on the Eyres Monsell estate in Leicester was organised on Saturday 4th June. Held on the Recreation Ground, the day featured a live stage with a varied line up of acts, artists and bands.

The stage area opened with a display by Parkour, free running experience.

Their set of accurately synchronised gymnastics won the applause of the crowd. Parkour is a free running street craze, often involving climbing on or jumping around structures and buildings. Like skateboarding, it requires a considerable level of skill and agility.

You can find out more about Parkour on their web site.

The day was compared very ably compared by Jonezy, who closed the show with his vibrant rapping.

A set of fine songs was given by the Emmanuel Gospel Choir. They were accompanied by drums and two keyboards.

Singer Amy G enchanted the audience with her varied selection of popular songs.

Members of the Southfields Concert Brass Band played a selection of well known tunes.

The members of Pink Lizard's local song and dance troupe, delighted the audience with their energetic routines and songs.

Dancers from Pink Lizard

Power Pop band Living Mystery played a set of very pleasing songs, some covers and some of their own compositions. Very enjoyable music, well played and sung by this popular young band.

Leicester indie band The Stiggz played a set of their top class rock songs and some covers, including one by Kasabian. They are well known on the Leicester rock scene and have played at several major festivals.

The show closed with a set from Loughborough's rising rap star Jonezy.

Thanks to Leicester Sound and Lighting for their excellent PA throughout the day; they played a large part in making the stage a success.

It was a good day out for people of all ages that befitted from lots of sunshine. Community events like this one provide an opportunity for local youngsters to show what they can do and to bring in artists that people might not have had the chance to see before.

Festivals enrich the life of local communities and although this was the first full park based event of its kind in this local area, organisers were generally pleased with the results and hoping to mount another event in 2012.

April

Culture comes alive in mini-heatwave, 23rd April

Hot Easter sunshine brought the crowds out to enjoy a day of live music, festivities and entertainment as the Cultural Quarter hosted the annual St. George's Festival on April 23rd.

Maypoles, Morris Men, dragons, Knights and Princesses - the legends of St. George brought together with a plentiful supply of live music, food and cheerful activities as the Cultural Opened up for the St. George's festival yesterday.

Resplendent in full traditional regalia, The Right Worshipful the Lord Mayor (Councillor Colin Hall) opened the festival at 1 p.m.

The Leicester Morrismen were soon in action, bringing their iconic English dances to Orton Square.

All around Orton Square's main stage, the venues, bars and restaurants of the Quarter were open for business and most of them put on something special for the day. The big flagship venues had activities, such as a Fancy Dress Party at Curve and a crafts fair at the LCB Depot.

Leicester's famous Black Rat Band were on hand throughout the day on the main stage to provide the music for the dancing, in Orton Square, outside Curve.

Inside Curve, lots of families and little princesses were having a wonderful time dressing up for the Princess and Knights Fancy Dress Party.

Just down Southampton Street, The SoundHouse had got the Barbecue out and a success of singers and bands took to the stage to provide a day of non-stop live music, well into the night. On stage (above) is Billy Mitchell, all the way from Dundee, doing a solo set. Later on, Billy and his band The Twist entertained the crowd during the evening's rock gig.

Leicester's Adam Dunmore (a.k.a. Find Pocket Girl) was an early player on the SoundHouse stage. Most of the audience were in the garden area munching on Burgers and Hotdogs but his fine singing could still be heard outside.

Kevin from Leicester brought some fitting culture music to the stage, playing a series of traditional Irish feels on his tin whistle.

The fine voice and ear pleasing songs of Sam Adcock went down well with the audience; a really good vocalist, she accompanied herself on keyboard.

The centre of Leicester was alive with music with free shows being held in many of the bars including The Ale Wagon, The Exchange and Midas bar.

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In the cool basement of the Exchange Bar, new wave band The Contras, from Northampton, were one of a series of bands to play throughout the day.

At the LCB Depot, crafts from around the East Midlands were on show. Craft works from the best of the region's designers and craft makers were on show with a glittering array of fine glass, ceramics, jewellery and fabrics. Anna Calvert displayed her jewellery collection (above) and you can see more on our visual arts page.

Ceramic designer Sarah Callard's display at the Makers Mart.

St. George's festival has established itself on the calendar of Leicester's public events, along with Diwali, The Mela and Caribbean Carnival. Each year it has got bigger and better, and so it should. It's an ideal opportunity to show off both the Cultural Quarter and the profusion of arts, musicians and entertainers that make our city such as rich and diverse place for culture of all kinds.

Children’s Arts Festival thrills crowds with giant hippo and Vegetable Nannies!

The Spark Children’s Arts Festival launched in Leicester City Centre yesterday in its own unique quirky style – with the help of a giant walkabout hippo and nannies with vegetables for babies!

Shoppers in Leicester city centre were amazed to see the wonderful Hippochondriac, a super-sized hippo roaming around the city centre, today. Part animal and part mechanical, Hieronymus the hippo from Thingumajig Theatre was feeling under the weather and his doctor/mechanic delighted the crowds by revealing a built-in puppet theatre telling stories of the hippo's illnesses.

The marvellous Vegetable Nannies from Plunge Boom were a hit with children as they wheeled an ancient Victorian Pram laden with a prized collection of vegetables through the city centre. The Nannies were out for the day, showing off their allotment cherubs and telling many a tale, like every proud parent would.

Children were able to meet the nannies and befriend, pet, feed and comfort all manner of vegetable babies including Magnus the ambitious downhill-racing watermelon, Jessica the award-winning sweet potato beauty queen and even David, the talented little marrow whose ambition is to become a stage actor.

The Vegetable Nannies even stopped off at Leicester Market to chat with fruit and veg stallholders about their own vegetable collections.

Festival Director Ellen Bianchini was thrilled with the launch: "I'm delighted that so many people got to enjoy this year's launch. It was wonderful to see the children's reactions as they saw our quirky friends roaming the city centre. We're looking forward to bringing more fun festivities to Leicester when The Spark begins in a few weeks."

Other pages you might like

The Glastonbudget festival 2011 - coverage

Strawberry Fields festival 2010

BatFest 2010