Sunday 25th September

Artsin visits the Seahorse Festival on 24th September

A warm sunny saturday brought people out to enjoy the Seahorse Festival in Braunstone Gate and to help raise money for a worth charitable cause.

Bands, singers, DJs, artists, crafts people, cakes ... there was a got to see and hear at yesterday's Search horse charity fundraiser in Braunstone Gate.

The Creative Hullabaloo festival brought together 40 bands, 49 DJs, 30 artists and offer 18 hours of their creative talent. There were activities for kids and a cocktail school at the Looking Glass bar. Six restaurants offered special dishes and the event was rounded off with DJs spinning the decks at the Sophbeck club till the small hours of the morning.

The festival was organised to raise money and awareness for Multiple Sclerosis charities. A similar event was held last year. Organisers were keen to use the event to showcase Leicester's artists and musicians. Participants could obtain a £3 wrist band which got them into all the venues.

Festival goers enjoyed a wide selection of live music at The Music Cafe, Sumo, Natterjacks, O Bar, Hub, Looking Glass and other of the eight venues that participated in the event.

Bands taking part included: Herra Hidro, Buenos Aires, Joel Owen and the Antoine band, Some May Run Speaking in Italics, Kiterunners and many others. Singers included Angels with Dirty Faces, Marcus Reeves and Gallery 47.

Cakes were much in evidence; here's a selection made by Retrosugar, on their stall in the courtyard at Sumo.

Festival goers weren't going hungry with this offering of tempting delicacies.

Also at Sumo, there was plenty of artwork to see.

Jewellery maker Valerie Macdonald had her work on display.

Some of the work on display upstairs at Sumo was by Wayne Robinson. One of his works appears on the walls overlooking the patio area.

One of several artists to entertain the guests at Sumo was the singer Mary Anne Ratcliffe.

Photo © Harjinder Ohbi

Onlookers were treated to a dragon dance.

Art in the making.

Over the road, graffiti artist Lawrence was laying down a large-scale work.

Graffiti art can also be seen elsewhere in the Braunstone Gate area.

Photo © Harjinder Ohbi

At the Music Cafe, a young Leicester band called The Kite Runners were on stage.

Spectacular public wall art

There is a long hoarding in Little Park Street, opposite the Music Face, which has an amazing set of paintings.

The work on show here is of a very high standard.

Painted using characteristic shapes and styling, the graffiti work is colourful and eye catching.

The Seahorse Hullabaloo was another locality event that brought as lot of people into the Braunstone Gate area, just as last year's Oxjam Festival did.

Explore more

The Seahorse Hullabaloo web site

Seahorse on Facebook

Artist Wayne Robinson's page on Facebook

Singer Mary Anne Ratcliffe's page on Facebook