The 2014 Kirkstall Festival will be on Saturday 12th July, 11:00 – 17:00, and the theme for 2014 is ‘Le Grand Festival De Kirkstall’, taking inspiration from the Tour De France. There will be some cycling themed events; like Dr Bike who will be on site to fix your bicycle woes such as flat tires and rusty chains. Plus some French themed events, including a newly constructed Pètanque court!
New for 2014: Kirkstall Festival has teamed up with Sneaky Experience to hold a special Friday night event on the Festival. Sneaky Experience will be showing a unique screening of Monty Python and the Holy Grail in Kirkstall Abbey complete with some interactive characters (and maybe animals!). Full details on their website.
Kirkstall Festival is a community fun day that takes place every year on the second Saturday in July in the beautiful grounds of Kirkstall Abbey, providing a full day of free entertainment that appeals to the whole family and community.
The event is organised entirely by local volunteers with the kind support of local councillors, Leeds City Council, grant providers and sponsors. The festival has run consistently since its start in 1980, priding itself on moving with the times with a different theme each year. It currently attracts over 20,000 people throughout the day, making it one of the largest community festivals in the country.
A parade of local groups and schools starts the Festival, traveling along Morris Lane and into the Abbey grounds. This year’s entertainment includes; 8 performance areas for live music, dance and comedy, plus a Youth Stage. There will be over 100 stalls (with many local charities and groups represented), a wide variety of catering stands serving delicious hot and cold food from around the world. There will also be a church service within the Abbey, a tea dance, and fairground attractions. Many more attractions are to be added to the Festival over the coming weeks. Recent festivals have included: birds of prey displays; battle re-enactments; pony rides; dog show; canoes on the river; mini motorbikes; mini cars; photo forests; children’s games; and lots more.
As the Festival is largely self-funded attendees are asked for their support by buying a programme for £2 on the day. This will give details about everything that’s on across the day, and it’s a small amount for a fabulous family day out. Wherever possible attendees are encouraged to take public transport though there is limited free parking available, as well as disabled parking close to the site.
Contacts:
Simon Dawson, Festival Chair: chair@kirkstall-festival.org.uk
Hannah Corah, Festival Publicity: info@kirkstall-festival.org.uk
Social Media:
www.kirkstall-festival.org.uk/
Twitter: @KirkFest
