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St George's Festival a big hit in the sunshine

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The sunshine brought out crowds of thousands to celebrate the St George's Festival today. Morris dancers, stilt walkers and youngsters dressed as knights and princesses were among the sights in the city's Cultural Quarter. There were also performances by young dancers, a chance to learn circus skills and plenty of live musical entertainment at the area's pubs. CBeebies favourite Mike the Knight also made an appearance. Claire Smith, 31, of Braunstone Town, was there with her two children, aged four and one. She said: "We came down here for Mike the Knight because my children both love him. "We've had a really nice time and it's beautiful weather - a really nice day for it." Gareth Harper and Hannah Winn, who live in Braunstone Town, were also making the most of the weather. Gareth, 30, said: "It's great. We came to see the parade of knights and princesses and we've also seen the Morris dancing and I had a springbok and kangaroo burger from the market, which sounds like it might be hard to keep down!" Hannah, 26, said: "I'm looking forward to seeing Mike the Knight because I always watch it with my five-year-old son." Sisters Georgia and Ellie Bradbury, of Aylestone, Leicester, were among the performers in Orton Square, dancing with fellow members of the Studio 79 street dance group. Georgia, 13, said: "I was nervous but we've been rehearsing a lot in the last two weeks and it went alright. "I also saw the Morris dances and I liked that, too." Ellie, 10, said: "It's nice to see all the little children dressed up as knights and princesses." The annual performance by Leicester Morris Men marked the beginning of their year of 60th anniversary celebrations. Dick Allsop, of Knighton, Leicester, who danced with the group, said: "It's good to see such a large number of people and it's a lovely day. "It seems the crowd is getting bigger and the weather is getting better each year." Aylestone Morris dancing fan Susan Shirley, 51, was among the spectators who enjoyed the performance. "We're having a great time," she said. "I love the Morris dancing and it's a great tradition." Leicester city mayor Peter Soulsby was also in the crowd enjoying the show. He said: "There's a great mix of things going on and it's fantastic to see such a big crowd. "In the past there have been one or two years when the crowd hasn't been very big. Of course, the weather helps a lot." During the afternoon the nearby Phoenix Square hosted an afternoon of live music from 12 young singer-songwriters from the across the region and there were folk music sessions at the LCB Depot.

St George's Festival a big hit in the sunshine


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