Kirkstall Festival 10th July 2010

Alison and I spent a pleasant Saturday afternoon at the Kirkstall Festival set in the grounds of Kirkstall Abbey which made a perfect backdrop for this event. The weather was very kind and this clearly encouraged the population of Leeds and district to turn out in their thousands.

After meandering around the various stalls and sideshows we settled at the main stage to listen to the Leeds Youth Jazz Rock Orchestra who entertained us royally. It is good to see the young people keeping traditional music alive.
Next we watched an exhibition of birds of prey, brilliantly handled by their trainer Ben Potter.

Onward we went and listened to the ever popular Bassa Bassa playing in the area of the Abbey Guest House. The original guests can never have had such entertainment!

With so much to see and do - fairground, stunt bikes, majorettes, belly dancing, Morris men, Punch and Judy, pony rides, information stalls of all descriptions, food stalls from all corners of the world made our choices of what to watch next very difficult but we cleverly opted for Casual Sax. A very clever choice as they were perfect to chill to away from the hustle and bustle as they were housed in the cloisters which still to this day feel peaceful and relaxed. This suited their mellow tones superbly.

Now feeling very mellow we decided that a cream tea in the tent of the Oddfellows Tea Dance would be very appropriate. This rounded off a lovely afternoon and we made our way home with the sun still shining. We are already looking forward to next year.
For The Yorkshire Gig Guide
Denis Heaton