How I believe carnival could get going again

WITH the ever increasing success of the Soap box Derby, maybe the Hinckley Carnival could make a comeback?

in its heyday it was excellent and well supported.

There was friendly rivalry with the Nuneaton Carnival (which was cancelled this year because the organisers would only allow a “walking” procession and people weren’t interested without floats - and the expensive insurance for the day. The insurance cost is a factor with our carnival too).

However, music in the Mead and Hollycroft Park happen every year, attended and enjoyed by many of us, so there must be a way to insure the carnival?

I was carnival chairman and organiser for two years back in the day.

I also introduced the festival-style live music stage which became a big part of the carnival year on year.

Some time ago I researched three town councils that organised their own carnivals themselves, not leaving it to volunteers as in Hinckley, in the North, the Midlands and the South. So it can be done.

We have an excellent and well organised structure of things to do in our town. The halcyon days of factories and businesses entering floats are long gone, but we could now have an updated 21st century carnival.

The “main attraction” could be the stalls, fairground rides and speciality foods and so on at various locations around the town centre/ Castle Street/ Hill Street car park/ Queens and Hollycroft parks*/the Mead/ Granville Road park/ Brookside park/rugby club/the common/ Wykin Park/ St Peter’s church field/ residential green spaces, with supervised camping for invited visitors**.

There could be evening outdoor cinema in the Mead. Townspeople will get their exercise walking to the many attractions and those who can’t or don’t want to walk can use the two road trains.

Replace the procession with selfthemed art exhibits.

Lastly, what I am proposing is an event that will be part carnival, part music festival, part food and drink extravaganza, part DIY event. It would be a coming together of and for all of us. What do people think?

*Hollycroft park bandstand and other outdoor/indoor venues for music acts.

**Visitors’ camping to be charged for and supervised. Me and my team will be happy to be involved, free of charge.

Phil Byrne, event organiser,

Streetwave Productions UK