Leeds Festival clean-up under way as revellers return home

Date: 28th August 2017.
Picture James Hardisty.
Festival-goers leaving Bramham Park at the end of the Leeds Festival. — Date: 28th August 2017. Picture James Hardisty. Festival-goers leaving Bramham Park at the end of the Leeds Festival.

The back to reality blues always set in after a fun-filled Bank Holiday weekend.

But for the thousands of Leeds Festival revellers returning to normality today, it will take an extra show of will.

Clean-ups have got under way at Bramham Park after the annual event – this year dubbed with hottest ever – took place with some of rock music’s biggest names performing on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Main stage headliners included trio Muse, indie rockers Kasabian and rap superstar Eminem.

YEP reporter Alex Evans attended the event and said it was one of the best festivals he had been to.

“I had an absolutely brilliant time. The bands were great, Eminem was amazing.”

He added that Leeds band Fizzy Blood and Hull rockers LIFE also impressed alongside bigger names such as ex-Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher and Muse.

The site was being cleared as he left the festival this morning. He said: “The ground was great because it was so sunny all weekend. There was not any mud anywhere. It was fairly clean by this morning as I was coming back, they had a clean-up operation at four in the morning.

26 August 2017.
Leeds Festival at Bramham Park.
Festival goers enjoying the sunshine on day two. — 26 August 2017. Leeds Festival at Bramham Park. Festival goers enjoying the sunshine on day two.

“There was rubbish everywhere, bottles had been thrown on the ground.”

Crowds of people who had attended the sun-soaked festival, which is twinned with the Reading event, have also been making their way back to the city through Leeds Station.

People took to social media to reflect on the weekend’s events.

Daniel Spiers said: “Leeds Festival blues already, what a weekend again! As you were.”

Leeds Festival veterans Jimmy Eat World performed and acts such as nu-metal group Korn, grime star Lethal Bizzle and Canadian punks Billy Talent wowed.

Rock legends Queens of the Stone Age surprised with a secret set on Friday and stalwart DJ Fatboy Slim produced a rave performance the following night.

Comedians such as Reginald D Hunter, Bill Bailey and Katherine Ryan also provided laughs on the Leeds Alternative Stage.

Leeds Festival started in 1999 as a sister event to the Reading Festival and was originally staged at Temple Newsam until 2003. It now features at least 10 performance areas, a signing tent and disco space.