Roundhay Park celebrating 150th birthday this weekend with special Leeds festival

Local charity Friends of Roundhay Park has been working hard to set up a fully inclusive programme of events for this Saturday, inviting people from across the city to sing, dance and eat alongside neighbours and new friends.

On the festival, Sara Dawson, vice chair of Friends of Roundhay Park, said: "I'm always in the park day in, day out for litter picks or raising money for playgrounds and other jobs, so it was really exciting that we got the chance to have the opportunity to create a festival to celebrate it. "

Donated to residents in 1822, Roundhay Park has long been a hotbed of community spirit, bringing together people from all walks of life in one of the most well-established parks in England.

This weekend will celebrate that spirit with a range of food and business stalls, retro fairground rides and activities led by groups like the Orienteering Society, Premier Martial Arts and Breeze Leeds.

There will also be plenty of live music to enjoy, including performances from Roundhay Ukulele Group, North Leeds Jazz Orchestra and Punjabi Roots Academy.

"I think community is what Roundhay Park does best," Sara went on to say.

"It's enjoyed by people from every area of Leeds and beyond. I think it is one big cultural bridge in a park; you can go there and meet people from every background you can imagine, so it's a real cultural melting pot that is great for bringing people together."

Roundhay Park Festival starts at 11.30am on Saturday at the show field and is free to enter.

Alcohol will not be for sale on site but attendees are welcome to bring their own drinks to enjoy in the park.

"We would like to thank our sponsors Leeds City Council Inner North East Community Committee, Morley Glass, Inner North East Housing Advisory Panel Housing Leeds, OneMedical Group and Richmond House School for funding this event. Without their sponsorship this Festival would not have been possible."