Ilkley was treated to two days of wonderful live music and glorious sunshine last weekend as Ilkley Live’s Community Music Festival celebrated its fifth year - the biggest yet!
Over 140 performances took place from midday on Friday 11th to late evening on Saturday 12th July, with singers, DJs and instrumentalists delivering a wealth of musical genres - from traditional klezmer through folk and blues, to punk, rock and new wave - ensuring that there was a musical style to suit everyone!
[Kathryn Longbottom at The Flying Duck]
The balmy summer weather saw open-air venues like the Bandstand, Martinez at Grove Park, the Riverside, Ilkley Tap and the Ticket Office particularly popular. People perched on benches, deckchairs, grassy areas and rugs to soak up the music and enjoy the relaxed community atmosphere.
[Ey Up Klezma play on Ilkley Bandstand]
Instruments of all shapes and sizes were to be heard at over 20 venues around the town, with saxophones and trumpets, guitars and banjos, flutes, drums, keyboards and percussion, interspersed with choirs and solo vocalists, DJ sets and a cappella groups. Original compositions and well-known, much-loved covers kept audiences entertained until late into the evening on both nights.
[Backspace performed in Alpkit]
Garden stages - the original inspiration for this festival ‘for the community by the community’ - proved as popular as ever, welcoming large and enthusiastic audiences who were equally happy to sing along and mingle with old and new friends.
[Andrea Mann on the Man Cave stage]
Visitors to the popular and busy stages at the Flying Duck were treated to a non-stop mix of blues, Motown. soul and rock, while venues that were hosting for the first time, including the Tinker Gallery, the Manor House, Alpkit and the Clarke Foley Community Hub, hosted a mellow selection of acoustic, indie and folk performances that were warmly received by audiences and passers-by alike.
[Kevin Leather at the Tinker Gallery]
Dan Hammond, the festival’s founder, would like to thank everyone involved in making this year’s festival such a success, Dan said:
“The heart of the festival is the community and it was thrilling to see so many people enjoying performances all around the town. We have big plans to support local musical events throughout the year.
“Donations from this year’s festival audiences and venues will be used to cover the costs of the festival, such as insurance, to put on more musical events in Ilkley, and to provide resources and equipment to enable more people in the community to have a go at making and enjoying live music.”
[Mike Burtoft (right) and the festival sound crew]
The dates for next year’s Ilkley Live Community Music Festival have already been announced, with the event once again taking place over two days, on Friday 10th and Saturday 11th July 2026.
Details of other live music events planned for the rest of this year, including a Community Sing and a Blues Festival in the autumn, will be shared in the coming weeks.
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