Garforth Arts Festival
Encyclopedia
The Garforth Arts Festival is an annual arts festival
that takes place in Garforth
, Leeds
, in the United Kingdom. The events take place over a two week period in July, ending with a full-day ‘Playground Party’ on the final Saturday. The festival features a variety of art forms, including comedy; theatre; circus; music; literature; art and dance. Most events are commissioned educational projects with local children and professional artists.
, The Miner's Welfare Hall, Garforth Working Men's Club and St. Mary's Church, Garforth. The ‘Playground Party’ is held in the ‘sunken’ playground outside the school with some acts occasionally performing on Garforth Main Street. By road:
By rail: Garforth station is on the main TransPennine Express Route between Leeds and York and is within easy walking distance of all Garforth venues.
worked with local primary schools as part of the main festival event.
’06 In 2006 the festival was extended to 9 days, with the same amount of diversity throughout the festival with even more acts to suit every taste. The festival ’06 saw Dennis Rollins
’ Badbone & Co headlining the ‘Playground Party’. Also appearing in the festival were: The Snake Davis
Band; Cara Dillon
and Chumbawamba
.
’07 The festival grew to 11 days in 2007, and once again retained the tremendous amount of various events. From a master-class and a concert with innovative string quartet The Brodsky Quartet; performances by The North Star Steel Pan Orchestra to a night of poetry with Yorkshire comedian, broadcaster and poet Ian McMillan. The Playground Party saw even more stars perform on the stage such as: Cara Robinson; Eliza Carthy
and the Ratcatchers; James Taylor Quartet
; Kate Rusby
and 2007's headliner Courtney Pine
.
’08 Expanding the next year the 2008 festival was 13 days long, and saw the opening of ‘The Little Stage’ which local groups were able to perform such as local folk group ‘Slania’ and Garforth choir ‘Blue Jeans’. 2008 saw the continuation of family friendly and acts that could allow for different tastes with talks from Tony Benn
and author Gervase Phinn
. Also performing was Soweto Kinch
with support from annual attendees to the Garforth Arts Festival, The Garforth Jazz Rock Band who performed a track from his album ‘A Life in the Day of B19 - Tales of the Tower Block’ and a performance by well known brass band Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band
The Playground Party saw Leeds band Middleman; 3 Daft Monkeys
and Jazz Jamaica
along with Britain's Got Talent (series 2)
stars Flava support headliner Richard Hawley
.
’09 The 2009 festival saw over 20 events held over the 13 days; more than three quarters of which were educational projects. The event was also host to 400 children who took part in an African music exchange project (with the help from Garforth Community College
's Partner school: Mzuvele Secondary School, Durban
, South Africa) also an Indian Wedding Ceremony that joined together to complete that years procession. The 2009 Festival festival included: The Breeze international festival; Samay
, a unique multi-cultural music experience; Jazz trio the Fruit Tree Project; Coal Face, a theatre commission about mining
; and a unique event featuring Leeds’ virtuoso
guitarist, Jon Gomm
. One of the highlights of this years festival - Ricky Tomlinson
brought his touring show 'Ricky Tomlinson's Laughter Show' which took place in the college hall. The Playground Party again saw 'The Little Stage' this time sponsored by ELFM and was renamed as 'The Everybody Loves Fabulous Music Stage' which hosted more local bands, The Koodoos, A Fair Fight and headliners Myriad. The main stage saw critically acclaimed Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain; Chumbawamba
and the African Children's Choir
support the headline act, 70's punk band Buzzcocks
.
's arts funding programme; Outer East Area Management Team, Arts Council England
, Awards for All, PRSF and Aim Higher.
Arts festival
An arts festival is a festival that focuses on the visual arts in all its forms, but which may also focus on or include other arts.Arts festivals in the visual arts are exhibitions and are not to be confused with the commercial art fair. Artists participate in the most important of such festival...
that takes place in Garforth
Garforth
Garforth is a town within the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, in West Yorkshire, England. The 2001 Census lists 23,892 residents in the Garforth and Swillington ward - 80.57% of which are homeowners, 20% more than the average for Leeds. Garforth itself has 15,394 of those people...
, Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, in the United Kingdom. The events take place over a two week period in July, ending with a full-day ‘Playground Party’ on the final Saturday. The festival features a variety of art forms, including comedy; theatre; circus; music; literature; art and dance. Most events are commissioned educational projects with local children and professional artists.
Location
Events during the festival are held at numerous locations in and around Garforth, such as the Garforth Community CollegeGarforth Community College
Garforth Academy is a secondary school and sixth form for pupils aged 11–18 and is located on Lidgett Lane in Garforth, West Yorkshire, England.The college has specialist Arts College status...
, The Miner's Welfare Hall, Garforth Working Men's Club and St. Mary's Church, Garforth. The ‘Playground Party’ is held in the ‘sunken’ playground outside the school with some acts occasionally performing on Garforth Main Street. By road:
- A642A642 roadThe A642 is an A-road in West Yorkshire, England which runs from Huddersfield to the A64 near Leeds. It connects with the M1, M62 and A63.The road begins at Waterloo east of the town centre before going on via Lepton, Grange Moor, Middlestown, Horbury into Wakefield City Centre.The road then goes...
north east, leading to the A1M North/South and the A64A64 roadThe A64 is a road in North and West Yorkshire, England which links Leeds, York and Scarborough. The A64 starts as the A64 ring road motorway in Leeds and then is a dual carriageway for the rest of its route, except parts of the road from Malton to Scarborough.The road approximates a section of the...
to YorkYorkYork is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
. - A642 south west, leading to the M62M62 motorwayThe M62 motorway is a west–east trans-Pennine motorway in Northern England, connecting the cities of Liverpool and Hull via Manchester and Leeds. The road also forms part of the unsigned Euroroutes E20 and E22...
, Leeds and ManchesterManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. - A63A63 roadThe A63 is a major road in Yorkshire, England between Leeds and Hull.-Leeds – Howden:The route out to Selby is shadowed by the Leeds-Selby railway....
west, leading to Leeds Outer Ring Road and A64 York. - A63 east, leading to A656 CastlefordCastlefordCastleford is the largest of the "five towns" district in the metropolitan borough of the City of Wakefield, in West Yorkshire, England. It is near Pontefract, and has a population of 37,525 according to the 2001 Census, but has seen a rise in recent years and is now around 45-50,000. To the north...
and A1M north/south.
By rail: Garforth station is on the main TransPennine Express Route between Leeds and York and is within easy walking distance of all Garforth venues.
The Festivals
’05 The festival was launched in 2005, originally 8 days long. It saw collaborations with the SLP College and the Breeze International Youth Festival. That year's headliner was Shaun T Hunter. This festival also led a musical procession from Garforth Main Street to the College, led by The Peace Artistes. The Zimbabwean dance group SiyayaSiyaya
Siyaya are a music, dance and theatre group from Makokoba, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.-Origin:Siyaya formed in 1989 and were originally known as Nostalgic Actors and Singers Alliance . They started with 5 members and were led by Mike Sobiko...
worked with local primary schools as part of the main festival event.
’06 In 2006 the festival was extended to 9 days, with the same amount of diversity throughout the festival with even more acts to suit every taste. The festival ’06 saw Dennis Rollins
Dennis Rollins
Dennis Rollins is a British jazz trombonist, the founder and bandleader of BadBone and Co.Rollins was born in Birmingham, of Jamaican parents, and brought up in Bentley, Doncaster and attended Don Valley High School...
’ Badbone & Co headlining the ‘Playground Party’. Also appearing in the festival were: The Snake Davis
Snake Davis
Snake Davis is a session musician who has played with some of the worlds biggest artists. In the 1980s he fronted York band Zoot and the Roots....
Band; Cara Dillon
Cara Dillon
Cara Dillon is an Irish folk singer. In 2001, she launched her career as a solo artist in the UK with the eponymous Cara Dillon album...
and Chumbawamba
Chumbawamba
Chumbawamba is a British musical group who have, over a career spanning nearly three decades, played punk rock, pop-influenced music, world music, and folk music...
.
’07 The festival grew to 11 days in 2007, and once again retained the tremendous amount of various events. From a master-class and a concert with innovative string quartet The Brodsky Quartet; performances by The North Star Steel Pan Orchestra to a night of poetry with Yorkshire comedian, broadcaster and poet Ian McMillan. The Playground Party saw even more stars perform on the stage such as: Cara Robinson; Eliza Carthy
Eliza Carthy
Eliza Carthy is an English folk musician known for both singing and playing fiddle. She is the daughter of English folk musicians singer/guitarist Martin Carthy and singer Norma Waterson.-Life and career:...
and the Ratcatchers; James Taylor Quartet
James Taylor Quartet
The James Taylor Quartet are a British four-piece jazz funk band who have become renowned for their live performances. They were formed by Hammond organ player James Taylor following the break-up of his former band The Prisoners in the wake of Stiff Records' bankruptcy...
; Kate Rusby
Kate Rusby
Kate Anna Rusby is an English folk singer and songwriter from Penistone, South Yorkshire. Sometimes known as The Barnsley Nightingale, she has headlined various British national folk festivals, and is regarded as one of the most famous English folk singers of contemporary times...
and 2007's headliner Courtney Pine
Courtney Pine
Courtney Pine CBE is an English jazz musician. At school he studied the clarinet, although he is known primarily for his saxophone playing. Pine is a multi-instrumentalist, also playing the flute, clarinet, bass Clarinet and keyboards...
.
’08 Expanding the next year the 2008 festival was 13 days long, and saw the opening of ‘The Little Stage’ which local groups were able to perform such as local folk group ‘Slania’ and Garforth choir ‘Blue Jeans’. 2008 saw the continuation of family friendly and acts that could allow for different tastes with talks from Tony Benn
Tony Benn
Anthony Neil Wedgwood "Tony" Benn, PC is a British Labour Party politician and a former MP and Cabinet Minister.His successful campaign to renounce his hereditary peerage was instrumental in the creation of the Peerage Act 1963...
and author Gervase Phinn
Gervase Phinn
Gervase Phinn is an English author and educator. After a career as a teacher he became a schools inspector and, latterly, Visiting Professor of Education at the University of Teesside....
. Also performing was Soweto Kinch
Soweto Kinch
Soweto Kinch is a British jazz alto saxophonist and rapper.Born in London, England to a Barbadian father, who is a playwright, and British-Jamaican mother, who is an actress, Kinch began playing saxophone at the age of nine after learning clarinet at Allfarthing Primary School, Wandsworth, SW London...
with support from annual attendees to the Garforth Arts Festival, The Garforth Jazz Rock Band who performed a track from his album ‘A Life in the Day of B19 - Tales of the Tower Block’ and a performance by well known brass band Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band
Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band
The Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band was formed in 1881. It is based in Brighouse, in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom.-History:The Brighouse and Rastrick Band is regarded by many as the best and most consistent ‘public subscription band’ in the world...
The Playground Party saw Leeds band Middleman; 3 Daft Monkeys
3 Daft Monkeys
3 Daft Monkeys are a world music-influenced acoustic band from Cornwall, UK, consisting of Tim Ashton, Athene Roberts, and Lukas Drinkwater...
and Jazz Jamaica
Jazz Jamaica
Jazz Jamaica is a jazz/reggae music group formed by musician Gary Crosby in London.-History:In 1991, inspired by the rhythms of traditional Jamaican music and the largely improvisational nature of jazz, original Jazz Warrior, jazz double bassist, and nephew of veteran Jamaican guitarist Ernest...
along with Britain's Got Talent (series 2)
Britain's Got Talent (Series 2)
The 2008 series of Britain's Got Talent was the second series of the show. Notable differences from the 2007 series the included the fact that the auditions visited Scotland and that there were 40 in the live semi-finals...
stars Flava support headliner Richard Hawley
Richard Hawley
Richard Hawley is a guitarist, singer-songwriter and producer. After his first band Treebound Story broke up, Hawley found success as a member of Britpop band Longpigs in the 1990s. He later joined the band Pulp, led by his friend Jarvis Cocker...
.
’09 The 2009 festival saw over 20 events held over the 13 days; more than three quarters of which were educational projects. The event was also host to 400 children who took part in an African music exchange project (with the help from Garforth Community College
Garforth Community College
Garforth Academy is a secondary school and sixth form for pupils aged 11–18 and is located on Lidgett Lane in Garforth, West Yorkshire, England.The college has specialist Arts College status...
's Partner school: Mzuvele Secondary School, Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
, South Africa) also an Indian Wedding Ceremony that joined together to complete that years procession. The 2009 Festival festival included: The Breeze international festival; Samay
Samay (band)
Samay are a band based in Leeds, UK, formed by musicians from India and Europe who take the traditional music of India and combine it with jazz, flamenco, samba, funk and chill-out....
, a unique multi-cultural music experience; Jazz trio the Fruit Tree Project; Coal Face, a theatre commission about mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
; and a unique event featuring Leeds’ virtuoso
Virtuoso
A virtuoso is an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability in the fine arts, at singing or playing a musical instrument. The plural form is either virtuosi or the Anglicisation, virtuosos, and the feminine form sometimes used is virtuosa...
guitarist, Jon Gomm
Jon Gomm
Jon Gomm is an English singer-songwriter and virtuoso performer, using one acoustic guitar to create drum sounds, bass lines and melodies simultaneously. His songs draw on a range of influences and styles, including blues and soul. Michael Hedges is an important source of inspiration...
. One of the highlights of this years festival - Ricky Tomlinson
Ricky Tomlinson
Eric Tomlinson , known by his stage name Ricky Tomlinson, is an English actor and comedian, best known for his roles as Bobby Grant in Brookside, DCI Charlie Wise in Cracker and James "Jim" Royle in The Royle Family....
brought his touring show 'Ricky Tomlinson's Laughter Show' which took place in the college hall. The Playground Party again saw 'The Little Stage' this time sponsored by ELFM and was renamed as 'The Everybody Loves Fabulous Music Stage' which hosted more local bands, The Koodoos, A Fair Fight and headliners Myriad. The main stage saw critically acclaimed Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain; Chumbawamba
Chumbawamba
Chumbawamba is a British musical group who have, over a career spanning nearly three decades, played punk rock, pop-influenced music, world music, and folk music...
and the African Children's Choir
African Children's Choir
The African Children's Choir is a large choir made up of children ages 7 to 12 from several African nations. Since its inception, the choir has included children from Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Nigeria, and Ghana...
support the headline act, 70's punk band Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton in 1976, led by singer–songwriter–guitarist Pete Shelley.They are regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent record label movement, punk rock, power pop, pop punk and indie rock. They achieved commercial...
.
Committee
The festival is run by the Festival Committee, composed of students, teachers and parents from Garforth Community College, and some external volunteers: directed by Festival Director and founder, Dave Evans. It is promoted by the School Partnership Trust (Reg. Charity No.1110495), a charitable non-profit making organisation. Any proceeds from the festival are re-invested into the local community. Additional Funding comes from arts@leeds: Leeds City CouncilLeeds City Council
Leeds City Council is the local authority for the City of Leeds metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England.-History:The city council was established in 1974, with the first elections being held in advance in 1973...
's arts funding programme; Outer East Area Management Team, Arts Council England
Arts Council England
Arts Council England was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three separate bodies for England, Scotland and Wales. It is a non-departmental public body of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport...
, Awards for All, PRSF and Aim Higher.