I was away for most of Saltaire Festival's second weekend. To be honest, I have become somewhat disillusioned by the commercialisation and the lack of variety of the weekend. There's not much of a local 'village' feel to it, unlike the first weekend. There are always several markets, lots of food and drink stalls and several stages with music of a type that rarely appeals to me. Add to that the crowds and the difficulty in parking anywhere near my house if I dare to move my car from its 'spot' and it seemed better to absent myself. I did, however, have an hour or so walking around as the crowds were thinning a little late on the Sunday afternoon.
The main photo is a view across Roberts Park, where the main stage and lots of food/drink stalls are sited.
The photo on the left is a view up Exhibition Road, where the 'Continental Market' is sited. Here you can buy a wide range of street food from curry to paella, crepes to baklava. There are also some stalls selling trinkets and this year you could buy plants too.
Lately I've noticed that a commercial firm has taken over large sections of our country and agricultural shows, which has resulted in many of them being a bit "samey". In Grantchester, where my mother lived, there were parking problems every weekend, particularly when the TV series was being screened.
ReplyDeleteThat is an incredible number of people in such a small town! I don't blame you for avoiding the crowds!
ReplyDeleteThe Leeds-Bradford area has a high density population.
ReplyDeleteThat's the problem when something takes off- it ends up becoming commercialized.
ReplyDeleteThe Old Vicarage,Grantchester: "Stands the church clock at ten to three? And is there honey still for tea?"
ReplyDeleteYikes! Way too crowded for me!
ReplyDeleteWow! Vendors must be happy.
ReplyDeleteThere are too mnay people for my comfy crowd size.:)