St Pauls Carnival looking for artists and volunteers
Posted on: 10 May 2019Surely, we speak for all in the city when we say we can’t wait for the 2019 edition of St Pauls Carnival!
Calling Bristol talent! Bands, singers, dancers, rappers, carnival performers, procession groups and dance troupes...you have until 15 May to apply for this year's event on 6 July. Email for info: admin@stpaulscarnival.org.uk
The carnival first took place in 1968 and has since become an annual celebration - bar a couple of missed years - of African Caribbean communities in the UK, attracting up to 90,000 people each year. Created as a way to represent the best of Afro-Caribbean culture, the carnival celebrates the diversity and vibrancy of communities found in Bristol. Following World War 2, over 500 people from the Caribbean (predominantly from Jamaica) were brought to the UK to make up for losses experienced as a result of the war. These individuals and their families have massively enriched areas across the country, including St Pauls, despite facing huge prejudice upon their arrival. The event celebrates community spirit, unity and the embracing of other cultures, with its aim being to ‘break down boundaries with each year’.
The carnival kicks off at 9am. Its main event will be the masquerade procession, in which people display incredible home-crafted costumes whilst walking alongside vibrant floats from local schools and cultural associations. 12 sound sites will flood the streets throughout the day with dub, reggae, hip hop, R&B, Roots and Soul.
As always, there will be various performers, covering everything from music, dance, spoken word, poetry, visual art and theatre. These will be displayed predominantly from the Main ‘Windrush’ stage. And as well as dozens of performances, a range of stalls will be present selling authentic foods from multiple cultures. So if you’re looking to be involved as an artist or volunteer, get in touch with the organisers here.
Article by:
Hannah recently graduated with a degree in English with Writing. She is an avid writer, freelancer and creative. She is currently writing her first full-length novel and a collection of poetry. Always out and about in Bristol's music scene, she attends music events on a weekly basis.
