Luton Carnival
Encyclopedia
Luton International Carnival is a carnival in Luton
, Bedfordshire
.
Taking place on the late May bank holiday
Monday every year and attended by over 150,000 people each year, the procession starts at Wardown Park
in Luton before making its way down New Bedford Road, around the Town Centre via St George's Square, and back down New Bedford Road to finish up back in Wardown Park.
award for carnival development.
In 2000, to mark the beginning of the new millennium, Luton celebrated with an expanded three-day event with more than 140,000 revelers taking to the streets for the massive international event.
Luton International Carnival is organised by Luton Borough Council Arts Development Unit in partnership with the Luton Carnival Arts Development Trust. The Carnival is sponsored by Bedfordshire Newspapers (Luton Herald and Post and The Luton News) and by local radio stations BBC Three Counties Radio
and 97.6 Chiltern FM.
The 2007 carnival, due to take place on Bank Holiday Monday 28 May, was cancelled due to adverse weather conditions. Major flooding, following 24 hours of heavy rain, meant New Bedford Road was impassible, and Wardown Park was waterlogged. This was the first time that the carnival was called off. In addition, continuing high winds meant that stages and other temporary structures were unable to be erected due to safety concerns.
The Luton Carnival is said to be the second largest in the UK (Notting Hill being the largest).
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
, Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
.
Taking place on the late May bank holiday
Bank Holiday
A bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom or a colloquialism for public holiday in Ireland. There is no automatic right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population is granted time off work or extra pay for working on these days, depending on their contract...
Monday every year and attended by over 150,000 people each year, the procession starts at Wardown Park
Wardown Park
Wardown Park is situated on the River Lea in Luton. The park has various sporting facilities, is home to the Luton Museum & Art Gallery and contains formal gardens. The park is located between Old Bedford Road and the A6, New Bedford Road and is within walking distance of the town centre.At the...
in Luton before making its way down New Bedford Road, around the Town Centre via St George's Square, and back down New Bedford Road to finish up back in Wardown Park.
History
The first carnival in Luton was in 1976 on a much smaller scale than today as a modest Victorian street fair as part of the Borough Council's centenary celebrations. The carnival developed and evolved over the years and in 1998 Luton Carnival acquired international status, receiving the largest single lotteryLottery
A lottery is a form of gambling which involves the drawing of lots for a prize.Lottery is outlawed by some governments, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find some degree of regulation of lottery by governments...
award for carnival development.
In 2000, to mark the beginning of the new millennium, Luton celebrated with an expanded three-day event with more than 140,000 revelers taking to the streets for the massive international event.
Luton International Carnival is organised by Luton Borough Council Arts Development Unit in partnership with the Luton Carnival Arts Development Trust. The Carnival is sponsored by Bedfordshire Newspapers (Luton Herald and Post and The Luton News) and by local radio stations BBC Three Counties Radio
BBC Three Counties Radio
BBC Three Counties Radio is the BBC Local Radio service for the English counties of Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire...
and 97.6 Chiltern FM.
The 2007 carnival, due to take place on Bank Holiday Monday 28 May, was cancelled due to adverse weather conditions. Major flooding, following 24 hours of heavy rain, meant New Bedford Road was impassible, and Wardown Park was waterlogged. This was the first time that the carnival was called off. In addition, continuing high winds meant that stages and other temporary structures were unable to be erected due to safety concerns.
The Luton Carnival is said to be the second largest in the UK (Notting Hill being the largest).
See also
- Caribbean CarnivalCaribbean CarnivalCaribbean Carnival is the term used for a number of events that take place in many of the Caribbean islands annually.The Caribbean's Carnivals all have several common themes all originating from Trinidad and Tobago Carnival, based on folklore, culture, religion,and tradition, not on amusement...
- Caribbean music in the United KingdomCaribbean music in the United Kingdom- Music from Trinidad :Large-scale Caribbean migration to England began in 1948. The Empire Windrush carried almost 500 passengers from Jamaica, including Lord Kitchener, a calypso singer from Trinidad. By chance, a local newsreel company filmed him singing "London Is The Place For Me" as he got...
- British Afro-Caribbean community
- Festivals in the United KingdomFestivals in the United KingdomFestivals in the United Kingdom is a link page for any established festival or carnival in any part of the United Kingdom.- A :*Albion Fairs*Aldeburgh Festival, Suffolk*Arundel Festival *Appleby Jazz Festival- B :*Bath Literature Festival...
- Notting Hill CarnivalNotting Hill CarnivalThe Notting Hill Carnival is an annual event which since 1964 has taken place on the streets of Notting Hill, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea , London, UK each August, over two days...
- West Country CarnivalWest Country CarnivalThe West Country Carnival is an annual celebration featuring a parade of illuminated floats , in the English West Country. The celebration dates back to the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. The purpose is to raise money for local charities....
External links
- Luton International Carnival
- Luton Borough Council, Carnival
- BBC Beds, Herts and Bucks reports on the Carnival: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 (cancelled), 2008, 2009, 2010
- UK Centre for Carnival Arts