Minstrels, food fair and fun planned in Keighley (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Minstrels, food fair and fun planned in Keighley

1:00pm Monday 22nd March 2010 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
• Comments(5)

Keighley will be going back to the past to celebrate England’s patron saint this year.

Mediaeval minstrels will be serenading shoppers in the town centre on Saturday, April 24, to mark the St George’s Day weekend.

A medieval food fair, Punch and Judy show and street entertainment will also take place on Church Green between 10am and 4pm.

There will also be a market from Thursday to Saturday to tie in with the celebrations.

The event comes after controversy two years ago when the planned St George’s celebrations in Bradford were cancelled on health and safety grounds.

The announcement, which came just days before the parade was set to happen, was met with anger and an alternative date in July was proposed in a bid to smooth things over – before that too was cancelled.

Crowds of people joined in when the parade returned last year.

This year in Bradford hundreds of children from schools across the district will take part in a parade through the city centre on Friday, April 23.

The parade, which will feature a St George character and a dragon, will begin at the Oastler statue in Northgate at 11am.

It will pass along Darley Street, Kirkgate, Ivegate and Market Street before assembling in Centenary Square, where there will be live entertainment.

The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor John Godward, Bradford Council leader Kris Hopkins, and the Bishop of Bradford, the Rt Rev David James, will lead the parade.

Elders from the Council of Mosques will also join the celebrations.

Coun Hopkins said: “The parade will be along similar lines to the very successful one last year.

“We hope that as many people as possible from Bradford come and join us.”