Leeds was lucky enough to have their very own Popworld Festival on August 5th, 2023… A night filled with dancing, karaoke and glitter!
Millenium Square was transformed into a time machine as Popworld took us back to the 90’s with their incredible music festival this summer! This was the second event of its kind and wow – what a night!
As we arrived at the event, we were greeted with pink ladies on stilts, pop bangers and disco tunes as the guests started to pour in. The early arrivals made the streets their dancefloor as the 90’s hits were blasting, with their ponchos on (classic British summer!) and glitter intact. But these 90’s fans didn’t let a bit of rain dampen their spirits. The drinks were flowing, the music was pumping and the atmosphere was electric.
We managed to bag the best seats in the house in the Pit – front and centre. We saw all things wacky and wonderful from 6:30-10:30 on the big stage. While the rest of the guests were taking their spots in the crowd, the Popworld DJ’s got everyone in the mood for a party! All of the Popworld entertainment was second to none. From barbies on stilts, to crowd karaoke – they had it all going on. You could feel the excitement and anticipation building from the crowd for the first act, Chesney Hawkes!
Chesney Hawkes gave the people what they wanted! He came on stage with confidence and as well as covering some well-known bangers like ‘Stacey’s Mom’ the crowd went wild when his hit single ‘One And Only’ was blasted from his electric guitar.
Chesney really got the crowd involved as he strutted across the pit and climbed onto the rails to hold his microphone out for the public to take over the lyrics. He ended his set with a cover of The Killers to really get the party started.
In between the acts the vibes didn’t stop as we were partying with the DJ’s and Popworld dancers! A good old singalong of ‘Sweet Caroline’ definitely set the tone for the night. With one arm around their pals and the other in the air – the party was on!
Next up we had Irish girl group, B*Witched grace the stage with their incredibly bubbly presence. They owned every song and created an amazing buzz with their Irish jigs and tunes. Even the slower numbers like ‘Jesse Hold On’ captivated the crowd and had everyone singing along! They didn’t take themselves too seriously and you could tell they enjoyed every second being on stage, brightening every corner with their sequins, sass and style! The highlight had to be ‘C’est La Vie’ which had a ‘Gallway Girl’ interlude to pay homage to their Irish routes. I won’t lie. I was fangirling. These ladies definitely stole the show for me! They set the bar at a high standard for the next act, Claire Richards.
After another mini-party with our resident DJ’s, the sun was setting and the Popworld glowsticks were thrown out to the crowd for them to keep their 90’s on. We ended up raving the night away in anticipation of Claire Richards (from Steps!) joining us on stage to perform.
Claire told us all about her new album being released, ‘Euphoria’ – a series of banging covers. Her vocals were on point as her and her two backing singers took centre stage in their triangle formation for a set of ballads and sing-a-longs.
More entertainment from the Popworld team saw a Tina Turner bobblehead, the Popworld Spice Girls and more raving into the night! Now the sun had set and the glow sticks were in full force – you could really feel the 90’s euphoria all around you. Unfortunately, DJ Casper couldn’t make the event as he was announced to be poorly. So we did a huge Cha-Cha slide in his honour! 5,000 people doing the cha-cha slide. That’s definitely something to be admired. Editor’s note: We have just learned of the sad passing of DJ Casper. We have retained Paige’s comment as a mark of respect and remembrance for him.
Finally, the long anticipated set from Ronan Keating himself. Another Irish sensation, formerly in Irish pop group ‘Boyzone.’ If you don’t know who Ronan Keating is, (have you been living under a rock?) You may also recognise him from being a judge on ‘The X-Factor’ and ‘The Voice Australia.’ His band was ready and waiting on stage, warming up the crowd with their long introduction. The crowd roared when Ronan joined us on stage in his baby blue 3 piece suit.
His charisma alone would have been enough to admire…….. then he started singing. He played some real crowd pleasers as well as his well known hits ‘Lovin’ Each Day’ and ‘Baby Can I Hold You.’ The audience were loving every second as they sang his ballads from the shoulders of their mates with a beer in hand. It doesn’t get much better than that, right?
Ronan played his set past 10pm as the crowd were getting a little more lairy! BUT the party didn’t stop there as there was an official after party at Popworld on Briggate in Leeds where the pop fans could dance into the early hours of the morning.
Overall, the vibes were immaculate. We loved the incredible energy brought by the acts and the crowd alike. There was no chance a little bit of rain was going to halt the party! It was an incredible turnout and we can’t wait for next year’s festival.
All photography by Emma Gibbon.
