LEAMINGTON Carnival will take to the streets again this summer.
A lack of floats was threatening to sink the carnival parade but a desperate appeal by organisers for businesses and other organisations to get involved has been answered, and the parade will go ahead on Saturday July 15.
Jamie Walker of Leamington Carnival said: “Last month we were almost ready to pull the plug on the revived carnival because of the lack of support from the local community.
“But this has now changed and Leamington will see eight floats, along with seven groups of walkers, all being lead by an amazing marching band.
“We want Leamington Carnival to be an annual event in the town centre which attracts thousands of people. We revived it back in 2014 after 18 years and feel it’s important to keep it going. But to do this we really do need the support from local groups and businesses.”
And plans are in the pipeline in a bid to ensure the carnival can become an annual event in the town’s calendar.
Steph Manning, of the organising committee, said: ‘Plans will be put in place from August to interact with groups and businesses for the 2018 carnival.
“Although we would have just seen the 2017 carnival happen, we need to approach people while it’s fresh in their mind, we’ve got big plans for Leamington Carnival, we just need the support and involvement of the town’
The carnival in the Pump Room Gardens will run from 11am to 7pm, with a fun fair, more than 40 stalls, music and other fun and games. The parade will gather in Beauchamp Avenue from 11am and will depart at 1pm to start its journey around the town.
Leamington Carnival – which can trace its history back over a century – thrived for decades, but lack of interest saw the last procession roll through the town in 1996, before the revival in 2014. The following year’s carnival was cancelled after struggling to recruit volunteers onto the organising committee, but it made another successful return in 2016.
Visit www.leamingotncarnival.org.uk for further details.
