Caribbean Carnival

It's carnival today: Leicester Caribbean Carnival, the city's biggest public multicultural event. Victoria Park was rammed and the crowd were getting high on the atmosphere, or on the music - or just getting high! BBC Leicester's website next day credits Leicestershire Constabulary with stating that "early estimates indicated about 80,000 people attended the procession and entertainment in Victoria Park." The police also stated that, "the day had passed without serious incident and no crimes had so far been reported."

The parades that took several hours to pass through town were amazing, the costumes incredible, the dancing fantastic - even from the youngest artists on stage.

This is the 25th anniversary of the Leicester Caribbean Carnival (although the event was cancelled in 2006, when sufficent funding couldn't be found). It's the biggest event of its kind outside Notting Hill and attracts visitors and participants from all over the UK and even farther afield. The past few years, the day has been hit by heavy rain. It rained a bit today, off and on - but certainly not enough to dampen the enthusiasm of all taking part.

Photo from BBC Leicester website.