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GALLERY: Thousands celebrate Yorkshire Day in Ilkley

Image from Stephen Garnett.

More than 15,000 people visited Ilkley over the Yorkshire Day Celebration Weekend as the town centre was transformed into a festival of live music, food, drink and community spirit.

 

The two-day event saw The Grove and surrounding areas filled with residents and visitors enjoying an extensive programme of live entertainment, a Yorkshire market, family activities and a showcase of local food and drink.

Organised entirely by volunteers through Olicana Events CIC, the free event once again highlighted the strength of community collaboration, with local businesses, performers, sponsors, traders and volunteers all playing a part in its success.

Organisers revealed that across the weekend visitors enjoyed more than 4,000 pints, over 500 portions of chips and more than 600 sausage rolls, while taking in over 20 hours of live entertainment across multiple venues.

Saturday's programme featured two live music stages on The Grove, while hundreds also took part in a special Yorkshire Day edition of East Holmes parkrun before joining the celebrations in the town centre.

Families enjoyed activities at Canker Wells throughout the day, and Ilkley Manor House hosted traditional maypole dancing, family activities and heritage experiences.

The Yorkshire Market, organised by Real Markets, attracted thousands of visitors and featured dozens of independent traders, makers and producers from across the county.

Visitors also sampled beers from all three of Ilkley's breweries, Bini Brew Co, Ilkley Brewery and Wharfedale Brewery.

The celebrations continued on Sunday with another full programme of live music at the Bandstand, curated by Ilkley Live, alongside another day of independent market stalls lining The Grove.

Tom Harris, Director of Olicana Events CIC, said:

"This weekend perfectly captured everything we hoped the Yorkshire Day Celebration would become.

"It wasn't just about the music, the market or the food and drink - it was about creating a space where people could come together, catch up with friends, support local businesses and celebrate the community we're so lucky to be part of.

"Standing on The Grove and seeing thousands of people enjoying themselves was an incredibly proud moment for everyone involved.

"This event is organised entirely by volunteers, and seeing the town embrace it so enthusiastically makes every hour of planning worthwhile."

The live music programme, curated by Ilkley Live, was one of the highlights of the weekend, with hundreds of performers taking to the Main Stage, Acoustic Stage and Bandstand.

Kevin Leather from Ilkley Live said:

"The atmosphere across the weekend was simply fantastic.

"It was wonderful to see people of all ages filling the town, discovering new artists, singing along with familiar favourites and enjoying such a diverse programme of live music.

"We're incredibly proud to have worked alongside Olicana Events to create a weekend where live music brought people together.

"Events like this show just how much talent we have in and around Ilkley, and we're already looking forward to doing it all again next year."

Alison McPhail of Greenholme House Care Home said:

"We're incredibly grateful to Olicana Events for giving us the opportunity to play a part in such a special celebration of Yorkshire and everything that makes our local area unique."

 

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