Colors of Leicester - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

Main highlights of the Leicester’s cultural life are national holidays. Locals look forward for them with enthusiasm and delight, and tourists don’t cease to amaze with the beauty of customs and traditions. Interesting event is Leicester St. George's Festival. Beautiful religious holiday is accompanied by a storm of folk festivals. During the holiday, all inhabitants of the city are coming out to take part in solemn processions, entertain and visit colorful fairs. This festival is the most important for followers of the Christian religion, but Leicester celebrates even more unusual events.

Fire Festival, or Diwali, is no less popular among locals and foreigners. The ancient Hindu festival has slightly different meaning for residents of Leicester than in its homeland. Bright and colorful festival is a symbol of the victory of good over evil; for many citizens this religious event has long ago turned into the usual colorful carnival. The main tradition of the event remain unchanged for many centuries, the focus of all participants of the festival is a powerful and ruthless fire.

A few years ago the main festive events were performances of fakirs, and today they are replaced with spectacular fireworks and large-scale performances. However, a lot of people gather to watch the spectacular stunts of tamers of fire. Tourists are also attracted by another national holiday, Leicester Caribbean Carnival. It has no equal in beauty and diversity of recreational activities. During the carnival, beautiful parades, concerts, dance and theater performances, sports and culinary competitions, as well as special activities for children are held in Leicester. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Everyone is taking part in the carnival. Local residents prepare bright costumes for the holiday in advance; creative teams carefully work on their performances and culinary experts are trying to impress participants with unique dishes. During the Carnival, the city has a number of interesting trade stands where you can buy beautiful costumes and souvenirs. Travelers, who manage to visit the city during days of national celebrations, will get a lot of unforgettable experiences.

The beginning of summer is marked by a beautiful event called the Riverside Festival, during which colorful events take place on both sides of Bede Park: musical performances, local food tastings, sporting competitions. The water sports season starts with the opening of the summer season. Tourists have a unique opportunity to go on themed boat tours along the picturesque area. At the end of the first summer month, the city hosts the Urban Steam Festival gathering steampunk fans. During its celebration at Abbey Pumping Station, one can meet authentically dressed people (in Victorian clothes, of course), vintage cars, and see how a steam engine works. Besides, musicians playing in different genres of music entertain all comers.

If you visit Leicester at the beginning of the third summer month, it's a good idea to get to the Acoustic Gardens Festival that is held in Belgrave Hall. The wonderful historic monument and museum becomes the venue for musical concerts with the participation of popular British musicians playing jazz, funk, soul, indie, soft rock. Many tourists are primarily attracted by the atmosphere of serenity prevailing at the fest. In mid-September, the same Belgrave Hall welcomes those wishing to participate in such an event as the Belgrave Hall Food & Garden Festival. Here one can taste not only local dishes but also international culinary delights. And all this happens in a warm family atmosphere.

The City Festival taking place on the central streets of Leicester in the middle of hot August deserves special mention. No one will get bored during here - after all, the festival invariably involves a really impressive program: street performances of theater troupes, sporting competitions, art exhibitions, fairs, music concerts, gastronomic events - in short, everyone can find entertainment to their liking. It'd also be interesting to check out themed parties organized by local restaurants and cafes at this time. Locals and tourists keep having fun and celebrating the holiday for ten days.

The end of September is traditionally "reserved" for an event called the Leicester International Music Festival. The New Walk Museum and Art Gallery serves as the venue for the beautiful event. Eminent musicians arriving from all over the world have repeatedly become its headliners. The main focus is put on jazz, although you can listen to related genres such as blues, funk, rock. It is worth mentioning one more festival that takes place in the vicinity of Leicester and gathers many famous headliners from around the world (for example, Ozzy Osbourne or Guns'N'Roses). Therefore, if you're a fan of metal and rock, be sure to visit Donnington Park in early June when the simple-named Download Festival is held here.