Free to all, the event offered serious value for money – there were more than 10 separate tents, each showcasing a different style or genre of music. Although music was the main attraction of the day, music wasn't the sole focus of the event - there were 5-a-side football tournaments, a dog show, jugglers, circus skills and break-dancers. Break-dancing in the Broken Beatz Urban Arts Tent attracted a massive audience, the crowd being within touching distance of the raised platform on which the breakers battled.
All around Hyde Park, there was a distinct smell of something illegal in the air - especially near toward the massive speakers of the Iration Steppas sound system and around the High Pressure Sound System. Iration Steppas, coming from Leeds, were a big hit – if I had to choose one distinguishing features of the Iration Steppas show, it has to be the sheer volume of the speakers and the level of the bass. It is so loud that it shakes your guts. I was near the speakers taking pictures and after a short time the volume of sound began to hurt my eyes for some reason, meaning perhaps that I'm not cut out to be an Iration Steppa, so I quickly sped off to the main stage.
Over at the main stage by this time was a big steel band, whose members looked as though they really did love the steel. They were good, although at one point during a rendition of ‘buffalo soldier’ there was a bit of chaos as a couple of the players strayed off tune slightly and were told off by others in the band. They argued at the end about it, but they all looked happy as they left. Some of Leeds’ finest hip hop talent was on show at the event – Invizible Circle hip-hop collective were represented by performances by artists including Monkee of Junkyard Tactics, and Kockee of the D.I.Y.ers who took to the main stage.
Leeds record label First Word were represented at Unity Day, including a performance by rapper Testament. Following the First Word set, Yorkshire Terrierz took to the stage and were themselves followed by the Invizible Circle collective who once again took over to host some freestyling by Kockee and Testament, as well as a performance by up and coming Leeds artist Taurus. The set finished with an open-mic session, where members of the audience were able to come up and have a chance to MC alongside some of Leeds more established artists. Perhaps most notable of all those who stepped up to freestyle was Filthy Rich, coming straight out of Horsforth, who dropped the classic lyric 'I'll slap you like a fat ginger minger'. He seemed to be quite an unhinged guy, but was surprisingly gangster. | 
