The Party of the Century: The Easy Breeze Turns 10
Ten years ago this building was a tea room called Auntie Val's, and we didn't have an alcohol licence.
On Saturday 15 August, a six-piece brass band set up on Church Street, a father-and-son DJ duo played until late, and people who hadn't even bought a drink lined the cobbles from Costa down just to watch. We'd spent weeks calling it the party of the century. We'd like to formally confirm we were not exaggerating.
Church Street, at full volume
Fat Cat Brass started it from the early afternoon - six pieces, brass, sixties through nineties, no let-up. Hooper & Chance took it on from there, local artist James Bimson played, and Aidan and Steven Lea - father and son on the decks - carried it through the evening. Bella Bakes Cakes made the anniversary cake, because ten years deserves a cake.
Free entry, no booking, no list. Just Church Street, open to whoever fancied it.
Mark put it best:
"It was awesome. I'd been in those videos beforehand saying we're going to create the biggest street party, and you sort of believe it'll happen - and then it actually did. What amazed me was the tourists. People who hadn't even bought a drink were lining the street all the way down from Costa, watching and filming. The weather held, the place was bouncing, and everybody just seemed genuinely happy."
The weather holding, in the Lakes, in August, on the one day it mattered. We're choosing to take that personally.
How we got here
Mark & Ange took the building on in February 2016. It had been Auntie Val's Tea Room, they had no licence, and for the best part of the first year we ran it more or less like a tea room while we worked out what we were doing.
"Honestly, you don't think 10 years ahead when you start. I'd never run a restaurant, I'd never run a bar - we'd spent our lives doing events, so we were dipping a toe in the water. I don't think I ever imagined it would be as hard as it was."
The turning point was 2023, when they knocked through into the building next door.
"We'd looked at that building for years and dreamt about going through, but never really thought it would happen. Being bigger changed everything."
After that it came quickly - off the bistro menu and onto street food, pizza, live sport on screens in every room, and last year the Sunday roasts, which have taken off more than any of us expected.
But the thing we're proudest of is the music. That was always the plan, and it's become the thing we're known for - live music, every day, afternoons and evenings, all year round. As far as we know we're the only venue in Bowness doing that.
There are no rules here
Ten years in, the bit that matters most hasn't changed.
"You can turn up in your walking gear or dressed up to the nines and you won't feel out of place. Bring the dog, bring the family. People don't want to feel judged - and if someone wants to dance on a table at our tenth birthday, let them."
Somebody did. We're not naming them.
As seen in the press
Cumbria Crack came down and wrote it up - read their piece on the street party here.
The Westmorland Gazette also gave their take on the day.
What happens next
The street party was a one-off. The music isn't — live music runs every day, all year, and you can see what's on for who's playing this week.
If you'd rather come for the kitchen than the noise, there's the food and drink menus, bottomless brunch on a Saturday, and a Sunday roast that people now drive over for.
Beyond that, the plan is bigger than Church Street. We want to build proper experiences around the lakes, working with other local businesses rather than against them - because when everyone's building each other up, it works out better for all of us.
Ten years down. Thank you for every one of them, the packed ones and the quiet Tuesdays with four of you and a guitarist in the corner.
Here's to the next ten.