We hope your Easter was filled with sunshine, joy, and meaningful traditions ☀️🐣
As part of Folk Crafts & Rhythms, Andrea shared the beautiful tradition of Slovak Easter egg decoration 🎨🥚
A big thank you to all our wonderful volunteers who added to the experience by introducing the traditional Baltic way of dyeing eggs, dancing and swinging.🌿✨
We loved the charming superstition shared by Sigita from Latvia — don’t forget to swing at Easter to keep mosquitoes away all summer! 🌸🦟
Thank you to everyone who signed up to take part in the Oral History Recordings project. Your stories and contributions mean so much 💛
#EasterTraditions #FolkCrafts #CulturalHeritage #CommunitySpirit #OralHistory BalticTraditions SlovakCulture SpringVibes VolunteerAppreciation
🐣✨ Easter Egg Competition – Show Us Your Art! ✨🐣
Do you have Eastern European roots or a passion for traditional egg decorating? This is your moment to shine!
Join us at the Guildhall Museum in Leicester for a beautiful celebration of heritage, creativity, and craftsmanship.
🎨 Bring your hand-decorated Easter eggs and take part in our competition
🏆 The best designs will be awarded prizes
🌍 Discover stunning Eastern European traditions and exhibition displays
📅 Sunday 5 April
🕚 Registration from 11:00 am
📍 Guildhall Museum, Leicester
You can register up to three eggs, so get creative and bring your best work!
Whether you’re an artist or simply curious, come along anytime between 11am–4pm and enjoy a day full of culture and inspiration 💛
🔗 More info: /folkcraftsandrhythms
#EasterEggCompetition #LeicesterEvents #FolkArt #EasternEuropeanCulture #CreativeCommunity Easter2026
Our final Beats & Bites Day of the year is here! 🎶🍴
Are you ready to enjoy live music, 🎵 creative crafts, 🎨 and hands-on cooking workshops? 👩🍳👨🍳
Bring your friends, bring your appetite, and come celebrate a day full of flavour, fun, and fantastic vibes! 🌟
We can’t wait to see you there!💛
#BeatsAndBites #FoodAndMusic #CreativeCommunity #CookingWorkshop #LiveMusicVibes CommunityEvent FoodieFun CraftAndCreate
One of the children’s favourite activities in our Beats & Bites project was building a Dream City! 🏙️✨
A huge thank you to the Tudor Centre staff for letting us collect and store boxes week after week — your support helped make the magic happen. 📦💛
And a big thank you to the National Lottery for supporting Beats & Bites 🎉🙌
@thenationallottery@nationallotterygoodcauses
#BeatsAndBites #Mowmacre #DreamCity #CommunityProject #CreativeKids ThankYou NationalLottery TudorCentre
🐣Sunday 5 April 2026
🥚 Slovak Easter Egg Decorating Workshop at The Guildhall Museum.
🌱 Even though spring still feels far away, we know it’s just around the corner — and so is Easter Sunday! Our much-awaited Folk Crafts & Rhythms event is coming soon, alongside many other Easter activities (find out more on our website).
🌿Join us for a creative, hands-on workshop inspired by centuries-old Slovak tradition:
✨ Learn the wax-resist technique, explore the patterns, symbols and cultural meanings behind Slovak Easter eggs, and create up to two beautifully decorated eggs to take home.
⏳ 1–1.5 hours
🎟️ Book via Eventbrite
Free, but limited places
💛 Thank you to Heritage Lottery for supporting the Folk Crafts & Rhythms project.
#EasterAtTheGuildhall #FolkCraftsAndRythms #SlovakEasterEggs #WaxResist #HeritageLottery SpringIsComing WhatsOn CraftWorkshop
Happy Valentine’s Day from the Beats & Bites family ❤️🎶🍴
We hope your day has been just as special as ours — filled with joy, connection, and kindness.
Today is all about spreading love, care, and good vibes to everyone around us 💕✨
A huge thank you to @thenationallottery@nationallotterygoodcauses supporting Beats & Bites — we’re sending lots of hearts your way! ❤️💛💙
#ValentinesDay #BeatsAndBites #SpreadLove #CommunityCare #ThankYou NationalLottery LoveAndKindness GoodVibesOnly
Folk Crafts & Rhythms were warmly welcomed at the Guildhall Museum with @KarolinaW ęgrzyn and the vibrant sounds of traditional Polish folk music 🎶
We explored the role of the wodzirej (wedding host), who traditionally leads the wedding party into the celebration with a walking dance (chodzony). Setting the rhythm and calling out simple steps, the wodzirej invites guests to follow in pairs, weaving through the space and symbolically welcoming everyone into the shared celebration. It’s often one of the very first moments of a Polish wedding — breaking formality, bringing generations together, and setting a joyful, inclusive tone for the day. And yes… we did try the dance ourselves ✨
Staying true to the theme, our favourite Polish symbol of the day was the rooster (kogut) 🐓 — a powerful folk symbol of vitality, protection, fertility, and warding off evil spirits. Inspired by this, we worked with rich, bold colours and created our own rooster wycinanki using traditional Polish paper-cutting techniques ✂️
A beautiful blend of rhythm, symbolism, and creativity 💛
Thank you to Heritage Lottery Fund for supporting this project.
@heritagefunduk
Thank you for amazing photos @EuropeansinLeicester
#FolkCrafts #polishculture #guildhallmuseum #wycinanki#polishfolk CulturalHeritage communityarts traditionaldance LivingHeritage creativecommunities
Throwback Thursday ✨ Did you know that Ukrainian Christmas is celebrated in January? 🇺🇦🎄
This January, we were honoured to welcome Nova Doma- two incredibly talented musicians, Iryna Muha and Volodymyr Vasylenko, who shared beautiful music with us at our Ukrainian Christmas Concert.
🎄Traditionally, Christmas in Ukraine is celebrated on 7 January, following the Julian calendar. Along the way, we learned some wonderful traditions:
⭐ The Christmas Star (Zirka/Zvizda): Large, handmade (often octagonal) stars are carried by carolers from house to house on Christmas Eve. They symbolise the Star of Bethlehem, bring good fortune, and represent the birth of Christ.
🔔 Carol of the Bells: This famous song is actually Ukrainian! It’s based on the folk chant Shchedryk, arranged in 1916. Originally, it told the story of a swallow bringing prosperity before later becoming a Christmas carol we know today.
🎶 Koliadky: Groups of carolers sing to bring blessings, joy, and wishes of prosperity to homes—often rewarded with sweets or coins. More carolers = more abundance!
A beautiful celebration of culture, music, and community 💙💛
#ThrowbackThursday #UkrainianChristmas #Community #CultureAndMusic SharedTraditions
Sunday 8 February 2026 🎶 The Guildhall Museum, Leicester.
Join us for a joyful celebration of Polish culture with Karolina Węgrzyn!
Enjoy live traditional Polish music, followed by learning, singing, and dancing to traditional Polish songs together 💃🕺
🎵 Folk music performances & activities
🕚 11.00am | 🕛 12.00pm | 🕑 2.00pm
✂️ Need a rest from all the dancing and singing?
Drop in anytime between 11.00am–4.00pm to make Wycinanki – beautiful traditional Polish paper cuttings, perfect for all ages.
🌿 Polish folk dances and songs are at the heart of Poland’s cultural identity. Passed down through generations, they tell stories of everyday life, history, and regional traditions. Singing and dancing together builds a sense of belonging and celebrates community, resilience, and joy. These traditions are a way of keeping heritage alive and bringing people together across generations.
✨ Everyone is welcome – come along, join in, or simply enjoy the atmosphere!
Folk Crafts & Rhythms project supported by @heritagefunduk@leicestermuseums@Projectpolska@edu.owl@EuropeansinLeicester@karolinawegrzynmusic
#PolishCulture #PolishFolkMusic #TraditionalDance #CommunityEvents CulturalHeritage LiveMusic FamilyFriendly FolkTraditions 🎶
Folk Crafts & Rhythms – Polish Traditions Day
Join us at Guildhall Museum, Leicester on Sunday 8 February, 11:00 am–4:00 pm, for a free, drop-in celebration of Polish folk culture!
Enjoy live traditional Polish music with Karolina Węgrzyn, followed by singing, learning, and dancing to traditional songs. Take part in Wycinanki, the beautiful traditional Polish paper-cutting craft — suitable for all ages.
Music sessions: 11:00 am, 12:00 pm & 2:00 pm
Suitable for individuals and families with children
Event language: English
Come along for a joyful day of music, craft, and culture! ✨
Folk Crafts & Rhythms, delivered by Crane Creatives, is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
@heritagefunduk@karolinawegrzynmusic@lsupolishsociety
#FolkCraftsAndRhythms #PolishCulture #FamilyFriendly #LeicesterEvents FreeEvents GuildhallMuseum CraneCreatives
✨ What dreams would you like to catch in 2026? ✨
At Beats & Bites, our families created their own dreamcatchers — a beautiful way to reflect, imagine, and define the wishes they hope to see come true. 🌙💭
This creative moment was all about hope, connection, and believing in brighter futures. 💛
A huge thank you to the @nationallotterygoodcauses for supporting this inspiring project and helping dreams take shape. 🙌🎨
Here’s to catching dreams and turning them into reality in 2026! ✨🪶
#DreamsFor2026 #BeatsAndBites #CommunityCreativity #DreamCatchers #FamilyTime HopeAndHealing CreativeJourneys
