This year’s revitalised Keighley Festival will be “the greatest show Keighley has ever seen”.

That is the promise of Malcolm Hanson, one of the festival’s leading lights, on the eve of the 2012 festival.

More than 50 events and activities will be held around the town from tomorrow until next Friday.

Mr Hanson said there would be rock shows, theatre productions, sporting competitions and large-scale outdoor events.

There are smaller events such as knitting circles, ‘get-together’ days, model-boat sailing, talks and walks.

And there are new events like the first Keighley Film Festival, open events at Jam on Top and Keighley army cadets, and the world premiere of an orchestra.

The event is officially entitled Keighley Festival of Arts, Sport, Music and Dance.

Mr Hanson said this year’s event had been rebranded and reinvigorated after public spending cuts led to a “modest” festival in 2011.

The festival’s volunteer organisers have this year secured a Bradford Council grant similar to previous years, of about £14,000.

This has enabled the committee to give small grants to a number of local community groups, which will organise one-off events or special versions of their regular activities.

Mr Hanson said that this meant the festival continued its tradition – dating back to the 1980s – of being “a festival of the people, by the people, and for the people”.

He added: “While rival festivals have often gone for attracting big names in order to impress, Keighley has always said it is a community event, and the stars are Keighley people.”

Among local groups running activities is Keighley Table Tennis and Recreation Centre, with two nights of competitions, and Pennine Paranormal Society, with two ghost hunts. Rides on trains pulled by scale-model steam locomotives will be offered at Keighley Model Engineering Society’s railway track at Marley playing fields this Saturday, from 1pm to 5pm.

Festival programmes are available from Keighley Town Hall, the library and the Keighley News office, the Festival shop in Queensway in the Airedale Centre, or keighleyfestival.co.uk.

  • An evening regatta is to be held at Keighley Tarn as part of the festival. There will be power boats, racing yachts and other scale models at the lake at Blackhill above Braithwaite.

People are invited to walk around the tarn while watching the boats sail, from 6pm on Wednesday.

The display is being hosted by Keighley and District Model Engineers.

Day to remember promised at town’s gala

People have been promised a Keighley Gala to remember at Victoria Park this Saturday. Organisers have said that even though there is no procession this year, they still intend to put on a lively, memorable show from 11am until late.

For the first time the gala will include a dog show, with entries starting at noon and judging from 1pm. In addition to the Marshalls funfair, Wild West Show, refreshments and live music, there will be a baby competition, between 11am and 1pm.

There’s also a Keighley’s Got Talent show. The contest is expected to have two sections – under-18s between 2pm and 3pm and over-18s between 3.30pm and 4.30pm.

People who would like to enter Keighley’s Got Talent are asked to e-mail keighleygala2012@gmail.com.