Have you been to any outdoor events yet this year? A festival, concert, live music event, or the proms? We were invited to Castle Howard recently to experience a number of their outdoor summer events. Our writer Rachel McAlley chose to visit on the night of the Castle Howard Proms, and it was definitely a night to remember.
Words by Rachel McAlley
In the run up to the Castle Howard Proms the weather had been magnificent. The sun had shone for days on end, and the blue skies were simply perfect. We had planned for the evening of the Proms to be just as fabulous but even more so because Castle Howard would be the backdrop for the evening.
Unfortunately it rained all day, not just a little shower, but full on localised flooding kind of rain. Torrential rain and then some! Did we still want to visit Castle Howard and put up our camping chairs and watch the Proms in the rain, of course we did!
Not only was this the first outdoor event we had been invited to in over 2 years, but it was the Castle Howard Proms. We couldn’t possibly have stayed at home and watched TV when there was a live outdoor music event to attend, after 18-months of staying home due to the pandemic.
So, we put on our boots, packed our waterproofs, and put a flask of hot soup in the car and we set off for Castle Howard.
We arrived at around 7pm and the grounds were already busy with families and plenty of umbrellas. We pitched up at the top of the hill and could see the big screens, we got ourselves well and truly settled. After listening to the host James Watt and the Forever Tenors from Yorkshire we enjoyed people watching. There were families dressed in the union jack flag, there was bunting aplenty, and the atmosphere was fantastic.
The Castle Howard Proms
The stage lit up and we could hear the London Gala Orchestra conducted by Stephen Bell. They played everything from Rule Britannia to Jerusalem and many more classics. Joining the London Gala Orchestra was Wynne Evans, the Welsh tenor who we all know from the TV adverts for Go Compare. Alongside Wynne Evans was soprano Victoria Joyce and they were both mesmerising.
We enjoyed our soup, had a hot dog, and thoroughly enjoyed our first outdoor event at Castle Howard in a couple of years. Moreover, the music was absolutely wonderful, the crowd magnificent, and the weather – well it was one to remember!
For more information about Castle Howard’s events visit the Castle Howard website
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