Horsforth's celebrated Walk of Art festival returns

The Horsforth Walk of Art is fast becoming a must do event in the Leeds annual calendar. It is a free, community led, inclusive, creative festival, with the aim to showcase creativity by local and almost local artists and performers in everyday and unusual spaces. It engages and inspires the community to make creativity, in all its forms, accessible and engaging.

2019 saw over 120 artists displaying and performing numerous art forms in 83 venues around the popular Leeds suburb. And In 2020, despite of the pandemic, the festival forged ahead with on line galleries, a live music weekend and residents taking part in window galleries across the suburb.

The lead organiser Kezia Roberts said: "We cannot wait to see art brighten the streets of Horsforth once again after a very long and difficult year. It will feel slightly different as we are encouraging people to discover their own routes from venue to venue and have asked all artists to display outdoors, but we will be helping everyone every step of the way with online maps, a printable route designer and a new downloadable map for your phone.

"We have been privileged to share the weekend in the past with some incredible local talent from film makers, street artists and crafters to dancers and musicians and this year looks to be no exception.

"We will of course be adhering to any new government advice in order to keep our community safe.”

The 2021 Walk of Art takes place across the weekend of July 3-4 from 11am to 5pm each day.

This year will see the return of many favourite artists, venues and events such as the creature hide and seek and the High Street Galleries for which the volunteers were shortlisted for a Child Friendly Leeds Award 2020 for their work within all the local schools.

Each venue will offer the opportunity to see artists at work and/or engage directly with the artist. There is also the inclusion of a ‘Soundscape Walk’ and ‘red aloud’ event. Plenty to keep everyone entertained, inspired and crucially feeling safe.

Applications for this year's Walk of Art close on June 4.

If you're a Horsforth resident with outdoor space to house an artist for the weekend or an artist that would like to take part then visit their website www.Horsforthwoa.org for more information or search for their social media channels.