With Leicester having such a diverse community it comes as no surprise that there are lots of festivals for the city to celebrate each year. Many have had to be cancelled for a couple of years due to Covid-19 restrictions so expect them to return this year with one hell of a bang. Here’s 10 of the best for you to attend.
Caribbean Carnival
Leicester’s Caribbean Carnival is one, huge, street party. Tens of thousands line the carnival route through the city to watch young and old decked out in wonderful costumes parading alongside floats carrying insanely loud sound systems. Everyone then heads to Victoria Park for amazing Caribbean food – the lines of barrel barbecues smoking jerk chicken is a sight in itself - drinks and festivities, lasting well into the evening.
The Caribbean Carnival is held each year on the first Saturday in August to commemorate the emancipation of slaves in the West Indies, which happened on August 1, 1834.
Tip: Head away from the main stage and look for Aba Shanti-I who has been playing his sound system at the Leicester Carnival for 30 years. He’s a bit of a city institution.
Eid
Leicester's two Eid festivals attract more than 20,000 people each year. The festivals are called Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, and Eid al-Adha, which marks the Islamic pilgrimage of Hajj.
This year's festivals were in May and July this year although the dates change annually as they are dependent on the lunar calendar. Expect prayers, funfairs, food and fundraising - and a warm welcome. As the organisers say Eid Festival is ‘a feast offered, freely, to all communities of Leicester irrespective of their gender, age, faith, colour, race, and social background’.
Diwali
Diwali has appeared on another list already this week but, with it being the biggest celebrations of the Festival of Light outside of India, it can’t be ignored in a festivals’ listicle! Heading to Belgrave and the Golden Mile with 40,000 others to mark Diwali Day is something every student should experience at least once during their time at DMU. Diwali Day is Thursday 4 November and the Diwali switch on will be a few days before.
Wide Eyed
Leicester’s huge one day music festival. This is the place to go to celebrate the best new and rising bands locally, nationally and internationally - all in one day.
It is the first Wide Eyed this year, on Saturday 18 September, but we're all hoping it becomes THE annual fixture to replace the previous incarnation, Handmade Festival. It's held across various stages at the O2 in Leicester in conjunction with two other great city music venues, The Cookie and Firebug. Names to look out for this year include Beak>, Snapped Ankles, Orielles, Katy J Pearson, Warmduscher and Girls in Synthesis as well as Leicester talents such as Earls and Spudge.
Leicester Comedy Festival
Did you know Leicester Comedy Festival was born at DMU, when founder Geoff Rowe came up with the idea as part his final year practical project as an Arts Management student. No kidding.
Now it is billed as one of the largest comedy festivals in Europe. The 2021 version was forced online due to COVID but brought some much needed belly laughs to the world with 100s of acts. It'll be back in the flesh between the 2nd and 20th February 2022 in venues across the city from the De Montfort Hall to basement bars. It creates an almighty buzz in the city with several shows across several venues every night.
The festival line-ups over the years have been a who’s who of TV funny women and men including Katherine Ryan, Stewart Lee, Jimmy Carr, Johnny Vegas, Jo Brand, Rich Hall, Sue Perkins, Lee Mack, Jason Manford, Sarah Pascoe and James Acaster. And there are huge numbers of rising stars to spot in numerous smaller venues. Our students get involved each year with shows, bookings and artist management. There's also plenty of free events. So no excuses to miss this one.
Leicester Pride
Pride is the city’s annual LGBTQ+ festival, celebrating equality and diversity in the community. The event starts with a parade through the city before around 10,000 congregate in Victoria Park for live bands and DJs, food and drink. Check back here for news about the 2022 festival.
Cultural Exchanges
Run by final year students on the Arts and Festivals Management BA (Hons) degree course over its 19 years – they do everything from book the acts to running the box office - Cultural Exchanges has become an important date in the arts calendar attracting around 3,000 people to see interactive discussions, performances and talks that showcase an eclectic programme of guests.
Previous guests have included Ken Loach, Benjamin Zephania, David Shrigley, Akela, Alastair Campbell, Nitin Sawhney, Meera Syal, Paris Lees and Trevor Nelson.
Christmas
It’s the most wonderful time of the year – and doesn’t Leicester know it! The council workforce starts dressing the town in October, putting in 16,000 lights, building the tableaux in Town Hall Square, and placing a 14m spruce, complete with tinsel and baubles, next to the Clock Tower. A Christmas ice rink also appears in Jubilee Square alongside a giant ferris wheel. Around 20,000 people usually make the trip into town to see the official lights switch on at the end of November when Leicester’s countdown to Christmas officially begins.
Food festivals
Food is such an integral part of the many cultures in Leicester that it’s inevitable there are lots of food festivals in the city. New Market Square is the venue of choice for the Leicester Food and Drink Festival and regular vegan food fest. The LCB Depot in the city’s Cultural Quarter hosts the monthly Last Friday, a street food, art and music event that is always booked up well in advance.
Bring the Paint
This award-winning international festival is the UK’s street art event of the year. Global artists from America, Australia, Tahiti, Mexico, Germany, France, Greece and the UK transform Leicester city centre with world-class mural paintings.
There are some outstanding artists who produce some truly outstanding work. Supported by Arts Council England, BID Leicester as well as DMU, Bring The Paint is definitely putting Leicester on the map. Starts on May 23 in 2022. Before that, take a walk around the city to see some of the works still adorning walls from previous years. It's inspirational. And instantly instagrammable.
Posted on Monday 16 August 2021