SUMMER BONANZA AS CITY TO BE TAKEN OVER

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Summer bonanza as city to be taken over

by Adrian Troughton

A party programme to make this year's August bank holiday weekend the most spectacular the city has ever seen has been unveiled.

The bumper bank holiday bonanza, which will include the Sky Ride and the Mela, is to be the grand finale to an action-packed summer of fun.

The Summer in the City programme starts in July, with centenary celebrations at De Montfort Hall.

Culture vultures can enjoy a season of events with a Richard III theme, the chance to discover Leicester's art treasures in the newly-renovated Victorian Gallery at New Walk Museum and lots of opportunities to enjoy an event in Belgrave Hall.

The Mela, Sky Ride and the Sports Fest will form part of the City Festival – a weekend of events which also features an Old Town Festival and lots of children's activities in Orton Square.

The events – on Sunday and Monday, August 25 and 26 – will help make it the busiest bank holiday the city centre has known.

City mayor Peter Soulsby said: "This year is an opportunity for us to try out some ideas for a major new event which we hope will become an annual highlight.

"There will be sporting activities, free events for children, and plenty of opportunities to find out more about Leicester's heritage and culture."

On Sunday, August 25, Sky Ride will return on a traffic-free route through the city, with Sports Fest turning Humberstone Gate West into a sporting arena for the day.

Local community and voluntary organisations will be involved, too, with an event called "Our Leicester Day" taking place in the market.

The popular Mela takes over the city centre on Monday, August 26, with live music and dance, a bazaar in the Market Place and stalls in Gallowtree Gate.

A new festival which celebrates Leicester's heritage will bring the old town to life on bank holiday Monday, too, with activities taking place in Magazine Square and the Castle area.

On both days, there will be live music and dance on the Humberstone Gate West stage and plenty of activities for children.

But before the City Festival gets under way, there is a programme of events to commemorate the centenary of De Montfort Hall.

These events include a tea dance with Strictly Come Dancing's Len Goodman on June 16, an outdoor comedy day on July 6, live theatre in the gardens – with Babe The Sheep Pig on July 13 and The Mikado on July 14 – and a concert of popular classics followed by a fireworks display on July 20.

The best of Leicester's music scene will then be celebrated in a two-day event called Simon Says at the hall on July 27 and 28.

Events with a Richard III theme will take place all summer.

A stunning reconstruction of the face and head of the king will form the centrepiece of the Guildhall exhibition, from May 18 until June 9.Details of all the events happening in Leicester this summer can be found at: www.visitleicester.info/ summerinthecity

KNIGHTS, CAMERAS, ACTION AS THE CITY SALUTES ST GEORGE

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Knights, cameras, action as the city salutes St George

by Tom Mack

Hundreds of people gathered in the sunshine to enjoy this year's St George's Festival.

Morris dancers, stilt walkers and youngsters dressed as knights and princesses were among the sights in the city's Cultural Quarter on Saturday afternoon.

There were also performances by young dancers, a chance to learn circus skills and live musical entertainment at the area's pubs.

CBeebies favourite Mike the Knight also made an appearance.

Claire Smith, 31, of Braunstone Town, was there with her two children, aged four and one.

She said: "We came down here for Mike the Knight because my children both love him.

"We've had a really nice time and it's beautiful weather."

Gareth Harper and Hannah Winn, who live in Braunstone Town, were also making the most of the weather.

Gareth, 30, said: "It's great. We came to see the parade of knights and princesses and we've also seen the morris dancing and I had a springbok and kangaroo burger from the market, which sounds like it might be hard to keep down!"

Hannah, 26, said: "I'm looking forward to seeing Mike the Knight because I always watch it with my five-year-old son."

Sisters Georgia and Ellie Bradbury, of Aylestone, were among the performers in Orton Square, dancing with fellow members of the Studio 79 street dance group.

Georgia, 13, said: "I was nervous but we've been rehearsing a lot in the last two weeks and it went all right."

Ellie, 10, said: "It's nice to see all the little children dressed up as knights and princesses."

The annual performance by Leicester Morris Men marked the beginning of their year of 60th anniversary celebrations. Dick Allsop, of Knighton, who danced with the group, said: "It seems the crowd is getting bigger and the weather is getting better each year."

Susan Shirley, 51, of Aylestone, was among the spectators.

"We're having a great time," she said. "I love the Morris dancing. It's a great tradition."

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby was also enjoying the show.

He said: "There's a great mix of things going on. In the past, there have been one or two years when the crowd hasn't been very big. Of course, the weather helps a lot."

During the afternoon the nearby Phoenix cinema hosted live music from 12 young singer-songwriters and there were folk music sessions at the LCB Depot.

The Cultural Quarter festival ended with a ceilidh hosted by Leicester's Red Fox Band.

Elsewhere in the city centre on Saturday, the traditional battle between St George and Dragon was put on by the market's stallholders at 11am and 1pm.

LORD MAYOR SET TO LAUNCH ST GEORGE'S DAY PARADE

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Lord Mayor set to launch St George's Day parade

Little knights and princesses can take part in a parade to celebrate England's patron saint.

The St George's Festival takes place on Saturday in and around the Cultural Quarter in Orton Square, Leicester.

Lord mayor Abdul Osman will launch the event at midday, with the Leicester Morris Men performing the first of the day's dances.

This year's theme is knights and princesses, with prizes on offer for the best children's costume.

Youngsters who arrive in fancy dress will be invited to take part in the festival's parade at 2pm, with prizes for the best costumes.

Visitors will be able to take part in Maypole dancing sessions, craft activities, circus skills and a St George's Festival dragon hunt.

There will also be live music and dance performances in Orton Square, and at The Ale Wagon and The Exchange pubs, in Rutland Street. Visitors can also take part in street art workshops in the Ramada Encore hotel.

The celebrations continue on Sunday with three traditional medieval St George's Day plays at Jewry Wall Museum, from 11.30am until 3pm.

The Scouts' annual St George's parade will begin at Market Place at 1pm.

To find out more information, visit: www.visitleicester.info

CULTURAL QUARTER SET FOR SECOND INDIAN SUMMER

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Cultural Quarter set for second Indian Summer

The sights, sounds and tastes of India will be spicing up Leicester's Cultural Quarter this weekend.

The second annual Indian Summer will be transforming Orton Square into a Mumbai bazaar.

Last year, the two-day festival took place in Phoenix Square, but the event has expanded, with organisers showcasing cookery classes, films and dance performances across seven venues.

Organiser Bipin Anand said: "It is going to be really colourful, exciting, vibrant and fun, with loads going on.

"If anyone has been to a Mumbai bazaar they will know it is all about the hustle and bustle, with so many sounds and smells. We are hoping to recreate that.

"This year is a big expansion, with loads of events, and while we are having short moments of panic and nerves, we are soon reminded of how brilliant and exciting it is going to be."

Run by Leicester social enterprise Inspirate, the event is expected to attract thousands of visitors.

The Exchange bar, in Rutland Street, is hosting sitar players, henna artists and Indian music workshops.

"We saw what they did last year and thought it was fantastic, so we're really pleased to get involved," said manager Anna Webb.

Indian films will be shown at Phoenix Square, while Curve will host a Carrom competition, giving visitors the chance to compete at an Indian game.

The theatre will also showcase classical Indian dance clothes, worn by performers.

At the LCB Depot, in Rutland Street, speedy cooks will be challenged to take part in a competition to see who can cook the fastest chapati.

Retro Indian music videos will be projected in Manhattan 34 bar, also in Rutland Street, and there will be food on offer at Chutney Ivy, in Halford Street.

Meanwhile, the Ramada Encore hotel, in Charles Street, is hosting talks on topics including the Ugandan migration and sex before marriage.

Bipin said: "It is a great chance for a big mishmash of people – all ages and Indian and non-Indian people – to come along and sample the culture.

"It is a mix of traditional and modern aspects, which I think helps keep the culture alive."

Events are taking place across the venues from noon on both days, until 11pm on Saturday, and 9pm on Sunday.

For more information about the programme, visit: www.indiansummer.org.uk

CROWDS ENJOY PATRIOT GAMES AT ST GEORGE'S DAY CELEBRATIONS

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Crowds enjoy patriot games at St George's Day celebrations

Knights, princesses and a court jester kept the crowds entertained as the county celebrated St George's Day.

Hundreds of families headed to Orton Square, Leicester, to join in crafts activities, take maypole dancing lessons, and see a kings and queens-themed fancy dress parade.

For three-year-old Olivia Miller, of Rothley, it was all about the morris dancers.

"I liked it when they danced with the bells, and I thought they were really funny," she said. "The man's hat fell off and it made me laugh, and I like the sticks they carry."

Mum Ruth Ingram, 45, said: "I think this is brilliant. Things like this are a great opportunity for Olivia to get out and see different things.

"We should really celebrate getting out and enjoying the streets of Leicester."

Drawings of dragons were hidden around the cultural quarter. Oumnia Abounovar, seven, was determined to find them all and mark them on her map. "I've come here to find the dragons," she said.

Mum Rachel, 46, from the city centre, added: "We came to support a friend who is playing in the band, but with the weather being dry for the moment it's a good opportunity to get out and make use of this lovely space here."

Curve theatre hosted Makers Mart, a craft and design fair, while Phoenix Square ran arts and crafts workshops, followed by a screening of the film How to Train Your Dragon.

In Loughborough, all-girl morris dancing group Bare Bones painted their faces before entertaining the crowds.

Councillor Paul Harley, cabinet member for leisure and culture, said: "I think St George's Day is a thoroughly under-celebrated event.

"St Patrick's Day, Burn's Night and St David's Day are always popular so it's great to mark St George's Day, too."

Street theatre performances featuring St George and his dragon, a Punch and Judy show and a zumba session kept Hinckley town centre busy on Saturday.

In Coalville, St George, his dragon and a damsel in distress visited Belvoir shopping centre, while Leicestershire Co-op Brass Band played traditional tunes.

The rain poured down on hundreds of Beavers, Cubs and Scouts, during their annual St George's Day parade on Sunday.

Youngsters braved the weather, many carrying flags and banners representing their groups, as brass bands and drummers set the pace.

The groups split as they left the market, one heading for Leicester Cathedral and the other for Bishop Street church.

Dan Harrison, seven, of the 53rd Leicester Birstall Beavers, said: "We've come to do a walk around the city and that. It is because of a dragon and St George."

Beaver Joseph Hallet, eight, said: "I like Beavers because we get to do lots of different things, like this walk, but also loads of games and activities."

The celebrations were due to continue today at Leicester Market, from 11am, where there was to be a knight tournament, medieval craft demonstrations and games to play.

There was also to be a re-enactment of St George rescuing a damsel in distress from the clutches of a dragon at 12.15pm and 2pm.

ST GEORGE'S DAY IN ST GEORGE'S CULTURAL QUARTER

I take Harry and Grace to the Cultural Quarter today, for an afternoon of family activities to celebrate St George's Day. The full and proper name for this part of town is St George's Cultural Quarter, appropriately enough!

The fun takes place mostly in Orton Square, outside Curve - and it's a lovely sunny day for it. It's odd to think of these celebrations taking place in Orton Square, since Joe Orton (Leicester's most famous modern playwright and a scandalous figure in and beyond his own lifetime) was one of those characters who helped form my own idiosyncratic notion of what the English and Englishness were all about, observed through my personal telescope, growing up north of the border. I saw Orton's What the Butler Saw at the Citizens' Theatre in Glasgow in 1976: and what an eye-opener that was at the age of 16. It's a symbol of how times have changed that Joe Orton would have a public spot in his home town named after him. Good for Leicester!

Now, look at these ladies in the photo below. I don't remember there being twin dragons in the story of St George! And doesn't it change the tone a little for the dragon(s) to be female? Didn't St George rescue a damsel in distress from the dragon?

It's a bright and happy occasion today, full of imaginative ways for the kids to find out more about the country's Patron Saint and appreciate the myths, legends, true stories and tall tales that breathe life into what it means to be English - in the past, in the present and in the future. And after all the protests I make for the Scottish side of Marry and Grace's  heritage, they were born here and their mum's English. Oh, hang on - she's half Welsh ... does that mean that they should be shouting for the dragon too? Maybe even just a little bit?