Leith Festival
| Leith Festival | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Theatre, comedy, dance, music, art, poetry, film, sport |
| Dates | From 13 to 22 June 2015 |
| Location(s) | Leith, Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Years active | 1907–present |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
The Leith Festival is an arts festival held in Leith, Scotland and takes place mainly in the EH6 and EH7 postcodes of Edinburgh which cover the old burgh of Leith.[1] It is a community based festival that takes place annually. It is run by the Leith Festival Association which is a Ltd Company and a recognised Scottish Charity.[2] It had been previously run by Leith Festival Club. There are two other festivals in the world with Leith in their title. Leith Hill Musical Festival in Dorking, England and Leith Summer Festival – Ontario Music Festival in Canada. Alongside Leith Festival run Edinburgh Short Film Festival, LeithLate and Leith Jazz and Blues Festival all of which have Facebook pages and webpages (see External Links below).
For travel and general information to and from the festival and festival venues check 
Edinburgh/Leith travel guide from Wikivoyage.
Contents
Background
The current version of the Leith Festival started in the late 1980s.[2] It takes place in June each year and includes Leith Festival Gala Day which started in 1907 as the Leith Gala. The Scotsman has reported that a precursor to the current day festival was established 100 years before the 2007 event. Leith Gala and Leith Pageant were started in order to raise money to pay for treatment at Leith Hospital before the days on the National Health Service. It continues with the role of fund raising with the parade and Gala day events, fun fair and stalls on Leith Links. There have been a number of festivals of various kinds held in Leith from The Edinburgh Festival to the 1951 Festival of Britain and other local festivals. In the late 1960s an Art festival was set up as a community Festival. Over time the Gala expanded to become a community arts event being run continuously in its present form since the late eighties. Since 2008 like many other festivals, such as the Belfast Festival at Queen's, it has suffered from the prevailing economic climate losing sponsorship and funding. Since 2011 funding has been secured from the city council.[2]
Timeline
1907 First Leith Gala takes place annually with the exception of the two world wars
1932 Leith Theatre (also known as Leith Town Hall and The Citadel Theatre) opened – many bands play this venue including Thin Lizzy 4 October 1975
1936, 15 June The Scotsman reported "During the past fortnight entertainment of various kinds have been held on behalf of Leith Hospital and on Saturday these concluded with a number of outside concerts in the principal thoroughfares of Edinburgh and Leith." The Scotsman has reported the Festival under its various names since the beginning.
1947 Edinburgh Festival and Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which holds many events in Leith, starts
1952 – 1986 Leith Gazette is published – it carries many articles dealing with the festival and publishes an annual two-page photo spread entitled "Sunshine on Leith Festival"
1956 Leith Dockers Club opens
1961 – 1968 Leith Theatre used as venue by the Edinburgh International Festival
1972 Scottish International journal Vol 5, p34, reported that "Leith Festival was first dreamt of, it was as a community festival involving the people of Leith in providing their own entertainment and in helping themselves. It was a development of the squatters campaign in the slums at the foot of (Leith Walk)..."
1973 Festival program entitled "Programme of events for Britain's only free community festival."
1988 Leith Theatre closed, since 2004 Leith Theatre Trust has been set up to bring the theatre back into use
2004 Leith FM, later known as 98.8 Castle FM, starts as a two-week festival broadcast
2005 Irvine Welsh opens festival with first reading of new material at Leith Dockers Club
2010 Tom Allan wrote in The Guardian of 30 May 2010 that "This year's ten-day Leith Festival got off to a flying start over the weekend with Leith Gala Day. There was a Samba band and dancers, a giant sound system for Edinburgh reggae legends Messenger, and hundreds of stalls sporting everything."[citation needed]
2011 The festival was launched with a Wool Bomb attack. The BBC reported that "Trees have been wrapped in woolly jumpers as part of a guerrilla arts project to mark the start of the Leith Festival."[3]
2013 Festival
In the run up to the 2013 Festival a radio show will be broadcast on Mondays between 12 & 3pm on 98.8 Castle FM. It will be hosted by Leith Festival.
Highlights include:
Theatrical – Sinatra: The Final Curtain by Kingdom Theatre – Sanctuary by David McFarlane – "Junk Food Vampire & Rockstar Granny" by Citadel Arts Group
Dance – Another little bit of Cairo on Duke Street—The Leith Festival Hafla – Peace Please from Leith Circle – Drumming & Dance Workshops
Music – LeithFest @ 511 – The Meridian Ensemble – Bruncheon! Featuring The Sound of Muesli – Tempo – Smooth and Saxy – The Leith Theatre Sessions @ Thomas Morton Hall – Pink Dogs – Blues on the Cruz!!! – LCCB Festival Concert – Kailyard in Concert – Balkan Beats & Swing Grooves – The Clanjamfrie – Radical Voices – and there will be MUSIC AT THE CONSTITUTION BAR throughout June (Various groups and dates)
Film – Edinburgh Short Film Festival
Tours & Walking Tours – Trainspotting Tour – Witches, Quacks and Painted Dames; a walk on the wild side of Leith’s History – other walks etc. appear in the official website
Exhibitions/Competitions
Family Entertainment
2014 Festival
The Festival will run from 14 to 22 June (see official link below...)
The Festival opens with
Gala Day and Pageant Saturday 14 June Which starts from the bottom of Balfour Street, the Pageant will travel down Leith Walk heading to Leith Links Departure time 12noon
And closes with
Leith Festival Tattoo Saturday 22 June A now traditional closing ceremony takes place on the evening of Sunday 22 June Venue will be the piazza on the shore opposite the Mal Maison Hotel
Highlights include:
Theatrical
Lifeline by Lifeline Theatre Company at venue 101 on Fri 20th, Sat 21st, Sun 22 June
Aye or No – Citadel Arts Group at venue 102 on Fri 20th, Sat 21 June
Leith at War – Citadel Arts Group at venue 102 Thur 19th, Fri 20th, Sat 21 June
Fish is the Future – Active Inquiry – venue 308 Thur 19th, Fri 20th Sat 21 June
Thief – LRStageworks – venue Sat 14th –Sun 15 June
One of Our Ain – venue 101 Monday 16 June One woman show from award winning Sandra Brown (campaigner) tells her story of growing up in a Scottish community profoundly affected for over fifty years by the disappearance of a schoolgirl Moira Anderson
Comedy
Comedy at the Constitution – Venue 201 The Constitution Bar, Constitution St. Leith.
Mirth of Forth Comedy presents 9 different shows at The Constitution Bar. One person shows from Janey Godley, Stu Who, Raymond Mearns, Billy Kirkwood, Susie McCabe and Richard Pulsford. Vladimir McTavish and Keir McAllister present their stand up satirical and musical show on the referendum debate. Special shows on Saturday nights, during the festival, with a variety bill of 4 acts, compered by Graham Mackie and Susan Morrison.
Men With Coconuts – Venue 206
Dance
Another Little bit of Cairo on Duke Street – The Leith Festival Hafla Venue 108 Tue 17 June
Bellydance for Beginners: FREE taster class Venue 304 Wed 18 June
Music
Ride It Like A Shark Weekender by Frantic Chant Venue 308 13 - 14 June
Justified Sinners, 70’s/80′s Rock cover band plus original material Venue 206 Fri 13 June
Onzlo, original music act plus covers Venue 206 Fri 13 June
Bach to the Future by EdinBaroque a family recorder trio Venue 303 Sat 21 June
Palestine: A Song And A Dance of Freedom Venue 310 Tue 17 June
Bruncheon! Featuring The Sound of Muesli Venue 107 Sat 14 June
LCCB Festival Concert annual Leith Festival concert performed by Leith Community Concert band Venue 313 Thu 19 June
Film
Sat 14 June, Edinburgh Short Film Festival, Venue 206
Tours & Walking Tours
Trainspotting Tour – Witches, Quacks and Painted Dames; a walk on the wild side of Leith's History
Trinity House Free Guided Tour
Hibs Historical Tours
Seafield Cemetery and Crematorium Open day
Exhibitions/Competitions
Art By the Sea Exhibition of paintings, textiles, jewellery and ceramics from Coburghouse artists Venue 209 art@37 Summer Exhibition Venue 204
European Cities in Black and White: From Norway to Naples Venue 307
Scottish Mineral & Lapidary Club Venue 202
Exposed 14 Exhibition by Final Year students from Stevenson College (Edinburgh). Showcasing award winning work from both the HND and BA student photographers Venue 308
Exercisations: An exhibition of Fitness, Art and Poetry Venue 306
Family Entertainment
Venues and performers etc.
The Festival takes place in a number of venues in and around Leith. Each year a number of venues are drawn from a pool.
Venues
101 South Leith Parish Hall, Henderson Street
102 Leith Hub, 1-3 Leith Walk
106 & 107 Leith Links
108 The Parlour Bar, Duke Street
110 Leith Academy
202 Scottish Mineral & Lapidary Club
206 The Granary, The Shore
209 Coburg House & Art Galleries, Coburg Street, Leith
300 Leith Library
304 Shapes Fitness Studios, Arthur street
306 Griffen Fitness, Balfour Street
307 Joseph Pearce, Elm Row
308 Out of the Blue – Drill Hall[4]
310 McDonald Road Library, Leith Walk, Edinburgh
Performers & Appearances
- Kevin Bridges comedian
- Sandra Brown, writer, broadcaster and actress
- Citadel Arts Group
- Leith Community & Concert Band
- Kingdom Theatre
- Raymond Mearns Actor & Comedian
- Janey Godley stand-up comedian and writer
- Irvine Welsh Scottish novelist, playwright and short story writer
Bibliography
- Leith Gazette 1952 – 1986
- The Scotsman
- Edinburgh Evening News
- The Speaker, No.107, June 2013
- The Skinny
- The List
- The Leither Magazine Issue 94
- The Guardian
Programs are held by Edinburgh City Libraries 1988; 1990 to date and the National Library of Scotland 1971; 1973; 1990
See also
References
External links
- Official website
- Leith Jazz and Blues Festival [1]
- LeithLate Festival [2]
- Out of the Blue
- Leith Dockers Club
- Leith Theatre Trust
- Edinburgh/Leith travel guide from Wikivoyage
