On the 17th and 18th August we held another very successful Nottingham Carnival weekend assisted with some good weather especially on the Sunday. Based at the Forest Recreation Ground the event yet again attracted massive crowds who were entertained over the weekend by over 50 musicians playing on 3 separate stages, a parade with 15 troupes, the largest fun fair in Nottingham outside of the Goose Fair, dozens of different stalls including those selling food from around the world, artefacts, clothes and others providing information on topics ranging from Better Health to how to manage the Government’s new welfare reforms.
The usual challenges with funding resulted in the Organising Committee taking the unique decision to ask the general adult public to make a £1 contribution at the entrance which unfortunately attracted some negative publicity at the outset. Nevertheless, the vast majority of our carnival supporters had little difficulty in making this small donation and as a result we were able to meet our costs and provide a platform for similar funding opportunities in the future.
The programme on Saturday 17th exceeded past years with 3 stages in full swing during the day. The Red Bull Academy again delivered its own unique stage show featuring such well known acts like Breach, T Williams and Congo Natty. The Party Stage provided its usual lively DJ led entertainment throughout the day and the Main Stage featured 18 local and national acts including UK Soca Monarch, Trini Boi Jucie and the fabulous Ms Dynamite who was the highlight of the evening.
Sunday 18th lived up to its usual billing with the highlight of the Carnival weekend being the Tuntum25 Carnival Parade. Launched by the Lord Mayor of Nottingham, 15 Carnival troupes which included 10 local Carnival Mas and samba bands paraded in front of tens of thousands through Nottingham City Centre and then onto the Carnival Site where they performed their choreographed dance routines on the Parade Stage.
Nottingham based troupes won all the awards this year as follows:
- The Troupe of the Year Award went to ‘All hands on deck’, a presentation by UK Trini and Friends
- The Best Costumes Award went to ‘Small Island Pride’, a presentation by Tuntum Housing Association and REM;
- The Best Stage performance went to ‘A Secret Garden’ by Hyson Green Zodiac All Stars
- The Judges Special Award went to ‘We are the Future’ by K2 Dance Group
Throughout the Sunday the crowds at the site were entertained by the many musical acts on the main stage which included; Steelpan, Afro-Beat and the Gospel Hour. The evening show again featured a fantastic line up of Calypso, Soca and Reggae acts, the highlight of which featured Marcia Griffith and Lloyds Park backed by the Ruff Cut Band. This year there was a newaddition to the musical entertainment with The Kebra Stage showcasing a range of good quality local acts during the day and into the evening.
As before, the shows on the main stage were hosted by the entertaining Kat B of MTV fame. A fantastic Carnival weekend finally finished at 9.45pm. The website of Nottinghamshire Police says that 70,000 enjoyed the Carnival, a fantastic turn-out for another fantastic event.
Looking to the near and distant future, the Nottingham Carnival family in partnership with Tuntum Housing Association have initiated 2 exciting new ventures. One is a Heritage Project researching the history of Nottingham Carnival funded by the National Heritage Lottery Board and the other is the engagement of Artreach to help develop in Nottingham, a Carnival Centre to be called Anansi’s Yard.
Read the reviews and see the pictures in the Nottingham Evening Post by clicking here:
City’s Caribbean flavour at Carnival
Nottingham Caribbean Carnival: ‘Give us a pound, and we will deliver a great event’