CARIBBEAN CARNIVAL: SUNSHINE'S ON ITS WAY, WHATEVER THE WEATHER

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Caribbean Carnival: sunshine's on its way, whatever the weather

by Yasmin Duffin

Thousands of people will enjoy a sunburst of colour this weekend as Leicester's annual Caribbean Carnival takes place.

Entertainers, floats and bands will take to the streets for the 28th carnival tomorrow.

The parade will leave Victoria Park, in London Road, at 1pm and enter the city centre before returning to the park at 4pm.

Celebrations will be taking place from at the park from midday until 8pm.

Entertainment will be provided by dancers, music and other performers throughout the day.

Carnival chairman Dennis Christopher said: "The theme is Colour My World because we want to bring all races and religions together."The street carnival will be full of beautiful colours.

"People should expect different foods, music, dance – from all cultures.

"Visitors can meet old and new friends and just enjoy themselves."The meaning of carnival, is emancipation of slavery – when slaves were freed, they did their own thing and that's what it's all about."

Mr Christopher said this was an important year for the carnival because of Leicester's bid to be UK City of Culture in 2017.

He said he hoped the carnival would play a major part in securing the coveted title for Leicester.

The carnival route will see the procession travel from Victoria Park, along London Road, Waterloo Way, Charles Street, Gallowtree Gate, Granby Street, Northampton Street, Waterloo Way and up London Road back to Victoria Park.

The main stage at Victoria Park will feature a variety of local, regional and national artists, ranging from the sound of R 'n' B, reggae, hip-hop and chart pop.

Mr Christopher said: "There will be all kinds of different music played but the majority will be calypso, steel band and soca – the rest will fit in between.

"I'm looking forward to it, I'm just hoping for a safe carnival and I'm keeping my eye on the weather.

"We've already started planning the 2014 carnival."

Police have given carnival goers advice on how to stay safe and crime-free at the event.

Chief Superintendent Stuart Prior said: "Last year around 15,000 people attended the event at Victoria Park and no crimes were reported.

"However, as with all events which attract large crowds, there are some simple steps that we urge people to consider to reduce the risk of them becoming a victim of crime."

To prevent the probability of crime, officers have suggested keeping valuables out of sight; keeping belongings with you at all times; keeping bags fastened securely and not to carry too much cash.

CELEBRATING OUR CULTURE

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury: 

 

Celebrating our culture

Leicester is to launch an ambitious bid to become the UK's next City of Culture.

The city is hoping its multi-cultural history, track record of staging events such as Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival, Diwali celebrations and the Caribbean Carnival will help it secure the title in 2017.

Its bid will also draw on the recent high-profile discovery of Richard III's bones under a council car park.

Bid organisers hope the role could lead to an influx of tourists generating millions of pounds of wealth for the city. They say Leicester's time as the UK City of Culture would feature a large programme of festivals and participatory events.

Leicester is bidding for the title for 2017 as this is when the 2013 UK City of Culture and inaugural holder – Derry in Northern Ireland – will hand over the honour.

So far rivals include Plymouth and Aberdeen, who have already announced their bids.It is rumoured that Nottingham may also enter the competition.Leicester City Council is pledging £50,000 to cover the initial stage of the bid.

In May or June cities will be short listed and, should Leicester progress, a similar amount would be needed to complete the bid.

Businesses and sponsors are being sought to provide financial backing.

Chief executive of Curve theatre Fiona Allan, who is a member of the consortium planning the city's bid, said: "There would be so many benefits if we won. Firstly, I hope people would feel pride in this city. "To win would show we are confident in our cultural offer. There would be a significant media and tourism knock on.

"We have all the ingredients already.

"Leicester is one of the UK's most culturally diverse and interesting cities."

From our Roman history, medieval growth, industrial prosperity to today welcoming people from all over the world to our diverse and vibrant communities, Leicester has rich stories to tell. The king in the car park is just one of many."

While cultural organisations here like Curve already enjoy a global reputation, with significant investment having been made in Leicester's cultural infrastructure and the development of our creative industries, the time is ripe for Leicester to show its creativity to the world." It would be like the cultural equivalent of the Rugby World Cup." Ms Allan said a program of proposed events would be drawn up. She said: "Leicester is known as a city of festivals and there would be a large programme of festivals. We would want some real showcase events.

In recent years, new events – including Indian Summer, Leicester Fringe, Tales of the Riverside and the Green Light Festival – have appeared on the city's calendar alongside established favourites such as the Caribbean Carnival, Diwali, the Spark Children's Arts Festival and the comedy festival." I think people outside Leicester will be surprised by what we can offer," said Ms Allan.

"We need to change the narrative of the city which has been a bit negative in the past. We really underplay ourselves."

"There would also be participatory activities to get as many people as possible involved."

We don't want to announce too many of our good ideas to rival cities. I am sure we will see more bids coming out of the cupboard in the next few weeks."

Cities vying for the title have until April 30 to submit a bid for consideration by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. 

Leicester's bid will focus on its lively arts scene and highlight the breadth of cultural activity taking place, with workshops in museums and galleries, stand-up comedy in city centre pubs, international stars taking to the stage at Curve, and a Bollywood blockbuster – Mad, Madder, Maddest 2 – set to have its world premiere in the city in June.

Chief executive of the Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce Martin Traynor, is also a consortium member. He was part of a Leicester delegation to Derry last year when the bid was being touted.

He said: "We are convinced this is something Leicester could do very well. We already have a rich multi-cultural offering."

We have suffered from a low international and national profile but that can change."

Richard III is already changing that and becoming UK City of Culture would be another springboard with massive potential impacts."

Leisure and tourism is worth £1.4 billion per annum to the city and county. If we could increase that by just one per cent that would be £1.4 million and could create hundreds of jobs."

City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby, who is leading the consortium, added: "Becoming UK City of Culture would bring huge benefits to Leicester, giving us an opportunity to highlight the city's history and reinforce its identity, while providing a much-needed boost to the local economy."

A city council spokeswoman said: "In 2008, Liverpool was the European Capital of Culture – a title that business leaders estimate was worth an extra £200 million to the city's economy."

Although the UK City of Culture competition is on a much smaller scale, it's clear that the opportunities for the winner are there to be seized."

The winner will be announced by the Government in November. 

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North and south – the two rivals, so far

Aberdeen, nicknamed The Granite City, is one of Leicester's rivals for the capital of culture title.

It is renowned as an oil city after the discovery of vast deposits under the North Sea.

It is home to a maritime museum, an art gallery, a number of cinemas and hosts the Aberdeen International Youth Festival, said to be the world's largest arts festival for young performers.

The city football team won the European Cup Winners Cup and the European Super Cup in 1983, under Sir Alex Ferguson, and has won the Scottish Premier League four times.

Aberdeen Lord Provost George Adam said: "Aiming to win the City of Culture title in 2017 presents Aberdeen with a tremendous opportunity and a terrific target to aim for.

"A proud city like Aberdeen should be aiming high and I have no doubt that everyone will pull together."

Aberdeen City Council chief executive Valerie Watts said: "Aberdeen already plays on a world stage in the competition for business and investment – and bidding to win the City of Culture title will be a huge benefit in terms of putting ourselves firmly on the international map."

The quality of life here in Aberdeen is already very high. We can all now work together to build on that to make the city even better – and to let the whole world know."

The south coast city of Plymouth, in Devon, is also hoping to clinch the title.

The old naval base is home to the annual British Fireworks Championship and is also home for the Royal Marines.

It has a range of cinemas, arts centre and galleries.

Plymouth's bid leaders hope that if they win, the city could host top-class events such as the Brit Awards, the Turner Prize and the BBC Sport Personality of the Year ceremony.

Plymouth Culture Board executive director Abby Johnson told The Herald newspaper: "I believe Plymouth has got such potential. People can help by simply talking up the city and talking up their cultural experiences."She said winning would create jobs, boost creative industries and see visitors' spending rise, adding: "Liverpool got £8 back for every £1 it put into the European Capital of Culture bid."Plymouth City Council and Plymouth University have each pledged £20,000 towards the bid on the condition the £40,000 handout is matched by the private sector.

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Leicester City's Cultural Diary

The main events in Leicester’s cultural calendar include:

Dave’s Leicester Comedy Festival, which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year.

The February event – which is thought to boost the local economy by £2 million – annually sees appearances from both world-famous performers and some of the funniest up-and-coming comics, at venues across the city.

Leicester’s Caribbean Carnival has brought the city centre to life every August since 1985, with the exception of 2006.

The celebration attracts thousands of visitors with its colourful city centre parade, street dancing and music.

Leicester’s annual Diwali celebrations are thought to be the largest outside India.

Huge crowds flock to the city’s Golden Mile. The Hindu Festival of Lights began last year with 35,000 watching a lights switch-on spanning a kilometre along Melton Road.

Leicester Pride is popular celebration of the city’s gay, lesbian and bisexual and transgender communities held in late August or early September each year.

Marchers in weird and wonderful costumes parade through the city centre before heading up to Victoria Park for a fairground and concert.

Christ in the Centre is the city’s dramatic recreation of the Easter story, with Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection being played out before thousands of people in Humberstone Gate.

It has become established as one of the biggest and most effective pieces of Christian celebration staged in the country.

FUN AT CARNIVAL WAS RESTRICTED

This letter appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Fun at carnival was restricted

I would like to share my thoughts with you regarding last Saturday's Caribbean Carnival.

It has been shrunk down to a small area of Victoria Park and had security Guantanamo Bay would have been proud of.

There were cameras watching everything.

I have attended the carnival since the year it began and have enjoyed the atmosphere and the freedom that it inspires.

This year was like something from George Orwell's 1984!

There were guards with metal detectors, searching bags and restricting alcohol to be taken into the site.

"Drink it before you go in," we were advised – by the security guards. So, cans of beer that would last all of the carnival were polished off in 10 minutes!

Better than taking it slowly over time!

Meanwhile, the official purveyors of beer onsite were charging £3 a can.

Mine were 95p from a shop!

Abbey Park music festival ended due to these draconian measures and I can see the carnival going down the same pan.

The site is a public park and a public open space.

Please Leicester City Council, don't tell me how to enjoy myself.

I will not be attending that prison they call Summer Sundae.

Phil Rowe, Knighton Fields

QUEEN CHARIS WOWS THE WATCHING CROWDS

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Queen Charis wows the watching crowds

Charis Betts strutted her stuff after being crowned queen for the day.

The 21-year-old was the focus of attention as the Leicester Caribbean Carnival Queen.

Charis led the parade through the city as thousands of onlookers marvelled at her spectacular Mask in D Lilies costume.

She danced and jigged at the front of the procession, which added a giant splash of Caribbean colour to the city.

Charis said: "This is my first time as carnival queen and I loved it. I helped design and make my costume as outrageous as it is.

"The costume is incredibly heavy and it was hard work at times. It rained on us and I have to say that it was nice as it helped cool me down."

Elizabeth Jennings was runner-up in the carnival queen competition and she wowed the crowds with her flamboyant Angel of the North costume.

The 23-year-old said: "This is the fourth time I have been in the parade and it was as brilliant as ever. It felt like there were more crowds out to watch us as we went through the city. The response was brilliant."

Ashley Richards donned a silver costume and entertained the onlookers with his moves.

The 25-year-old said: "It is an honour to be involved. My family came over from St Kitts and Nevis 60 or 70 years ago and it is great to be able to bring a bit of that culture to the streets of Leicester.

"I have been lucky enough to be involved in many carnivals but I have to say Leicester is the best. The rain came but it cannot dampen our spirit. We dance on."

CITY SWAYS TO CALYPSO BEAT

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

City sways to calypso beat

Thousands of people lined the streets of the city on Saturday as the colourful spectacle of the Caribbean Carnival came to town.

Spectators danced to a thumping beat and blew whistles and vuvuzelas as the procession snaked its way in and out of the city centre.

Leaving Victoria Park at about 12.45pm, it made its way down London Road and into the city centre along Charles Street and later on to Granby Street, where rain fell on the parade.

But scores of swaying umbrellas only added to the colour of the occasion.

The line of lorries, floats, hundreds of dancers and young people wearing feathered headdresses and huge sparkling costumes arrived back at Victoria Park at about 4.30pm for the traditional Caribbean party.

Among the crowds enjoying the procession in London Road were Sharon and Charlie Starbuck, of Bagworth.

Sharon, 51, said: "We have been coming for about 10 years and it is the best gig in town.

"The atmosphere is wonderful and joyous. It is simply the best way to spend a Saturday afternoon and evening."

Husband Charlie, 55, said: "What I love about it is that it is totally inclusive. It does not matter who you are, it's a party and everyone is invited irrespective of colour or creed. It is what we love about Leicester."

Charlotte Brown, 25, of the city centre, said: "It is amazing.

"The costumes are so colourful and creative. It is an incredible spectacle and something Leicester should be proud of."

Her brother Julian, eight, said: "It is perfect. I have got a whistle and I love blowing it as loud as I can."

Sharon Thomas brought her daughter McKenzie, seven, into town to see the parade.

Ms Thomas, 41, of Narborough Road, said: "I have seen this procession before and it is a sight to behold. I don't know who comes up with the ideas for the costumes but they are incredible."

McKenzie, seven, said: "It is very good. I would like to be in the parade one year if I could because it looks so much fun."

The party carried on into the evening at Victoria Park.

Stalls selling traditional West Indian cuisine did a roaring trade as people tucked in.

Other stalls providing free activities for children were kept busy as the carnival's family atmosphere prevailed.

The music continued to pound out from a main stage and other stages as the dancing continued despite more rain.

At the park, friends Sophie Barby and Kay Simmonds got into the party mood.

Sophie, 22, of Queens Road, said: "Great atmosphere. Spicy chicken. Banging music. Bring it on."

Kay, 21, of Glenfield, said: "I can't believe how fabulous the whole carnival is. Everyone is here and everyone is just having a great time. It's brilliant."

Nevin Moledina had wandered over to the park with friends from her home in nearby Clarendon Park.

She said: "We come every year to enjoy the lovely relaxed atmosphere.

"It seems to be a bit smaller than previous years but it still a party not to be missed."

Superintendent Stuart Prior, the senior officer in charge of policing the carnival, said: "The carnival has been a great success and has passed off safely with no arrests made.

"I would like to thank the event organisers Leicester Caribbean Carnival, Leicester City Council and the other emergency services for working with us to ensure the event went smoothly.

"It was great to see so many people supporting the carnival despite the heavy rain at times.

"I would like to thank those who attended for their co-operation and motorists for their patience during the procession through the city centre."

Dennis 'Sugar' Christopher, of Leicester Caribbean Carnival, said: "It has been a really successful day with everyone enjoying themselves."I would like to thank each and every one who supported the event and all the agencies and staff who worked to make it possible."

The Leicester Mercury has published a gallery of photographs from the Caribbean Carnival. The pictures in this blog entry are to be found on that gallery. And if you think the face inside the hoop in the costume pictured above is familiar, it's an iconic image of Janet Leigh in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho! On the Mercury website, this article is entitled, "Thousands line streets to enjoy Leicester Caribbean Carnival's sights and sounds".

LEICESTER CARIBBEAN CARNIVAL

I take Harry and Grace into the city centre this afternoon, to see the Caribbean Carnival (both the procession down London Road and the main event in Victoria Park). We take our position outside the railway station, perched on the fence dividing the two sides of London Road (which is closed for this period, of course). I don't know what's up with this spot, but it seems hard, if not impossible, to get a decent photo of the procession here. I know I'm just using an iPhone, but then again, a bad workman blames his tools. I've put a photo at the top of this post, taken at the same position from which we watched the procession, by a better photographer than me, with a better camera. These photos are taken from the Leicester Festivals & Events Facebook album, Leicester Caribbean Carnival 2012. Check it out for a lovely selection of pictures. I took the photos below though. The fellow carting the big union flag behind him is on roller skates. There should be on Olympic event dedicated to doing what he's doing!

Though I don't have figures or any such evidence, I get the feeling that the procession is smaller than on previous occasions. But it's still wondrous to behold. There are some good causes promoted through the floats, including the Watershed Youth Centre, where ReMit (Leicester City Council's education provision for adults with long-term mental health issues) was located when I went to work for them several years ago.

We reach Victoria Park for the main static part of the Carnival (just as the rain begins to fall). First order of business is getting some grub (especially as my blood sugar is getting low).

The carnival takes up much less space in the park than I've seen it do before. There are food stalls, bouncy castles, vendors of ephemera and memerobilia (especiall stuff marking the 50th anniversary of Jamaica's independence this year). But the big rides, major concession stands and tents and the variety of VCS organisations on show is well down on previous years. The biggest single display is taken up by Time to Change. This is currently the biggest project in England working to end stigma and discrimination against people with mental health problems. Time to Change has a pop-up village in the park today. You can read their own report about it on their website. I speak to a few of the organisers in their pop-up village; hopefully these conversations will have practical and mutually beneficial outcomes.

Time to Change pop-up village at the Caribbean Carnival in Victoria Park

LEICESTER CARIBBEAN CARNIVAL 2012 KICKS OFF TOMORROW

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Leicester Caribbean Carnival 2012 kicks off tomorrow

The streets of Leicester will be filled with the sounds, sights and smells of the Caribbean tomorrow, when the annual carnival gets under way.

Now in its 27th year, the Leicester Caribbean Carnival is one of the biggest celebrations of its kind in the country.

Championing Caribbean culture and heritage, the carnival is a flurry of brightly-coloured costumes, floats, dance troupes and traditional food.

Set against a backdrop of Caribbean soca music, the event attracts more than 100,000 people every year.

Juliet Brade, coordinator of the carnival, explained the event is first and foremost a celebration of the emancipation of slaves.

“A lot of people really don’t know what the carnival is about,” she said. “It’s an expression of people of the Caribbean, expressing themselves and keeping the culture alive.

“It has always been on the first Saturday in August - emancipation day. People celebrate the freedom, although it was not really complete freedom as such.”

Ms Brade continued: “People came to the Caribbean from Africa and they were enslaved by the English, French, Dutch etc. If you were lighter-skinned you were hired to work in the household, and if you were darker-skinned you became a field slave.

“The house slaves heard everything in the house, so on Sundays, the one day they were free to do as they pleased, the house slaves would join the field slaves and they would mimic what happened in the household. They used to dance, do flamenco etc.

“They put their own spin on it, and as time went by you had amalgamation of African tradition mixed with Dutch, Spanish - the powers that be at the time. It changed constantly.”

Ms Brade heaped praise on the local community, and said without them the carnival could not go ahead.

“People from the community put their hand in their pockets to make it work,” she said.

“We are pulling it together but it’s a community-wide event. So you cannot say we are organising the event - so many people are important to us to achieve our objectives.

“People come from all over, it’s not just about Leicester. It’s the largest multi-cultural event in the Midlands, but it attracts people from all over.”

Turning to the financial difficulties the carnival has faced, Ms Brade said: “The costumes cost us an arm and a leg. The expense to the groups is very, very high, so they really cannot do some of the things that they would like.

“We are struggling because we are one of the groups that have been targeted for cuts from city funding, so we have to find somewhere to fund the shortfall.”

But the hard work has paid off - the carnival is back on the move again after a lack of funds saw last year's event restricted to Victoria Park.

“People will be doing all kinds of things; they enjoy food, see friends they haven’t met for many years,” Ms Brade explained.

Some 42 young people who for months have made costumes at the carnival arts centre are due to take part, as are three carnival queens and a number of performers.

At least 100,000 people are expected to attend the parade, and another 20,000 are set to be at the park. “But they won’t all come at once, they come and go, they do their own thing,” said Ms Brade.

“We have booked sun,” she added. “The rain has never stopped the carnival. One year it was raining and people didn’t care if they got wet. I’ve been soaked through before. We’re immune to rain,” she joked.

Tomorrow’s festivities kick off at 11am, with the opening ceremony taking place at 12.30. The parade sets off around the city immediately afterwards.

Organisers encourage carnival-goers to donate at least £1 to clearly identified collectors on the day, to help cover the growing cost of the event. Collectors’ buckets will carry the Leicester Caribbean Carnival Logo.

To find out more about the carnival, visit www.leicestercaribbeancarnival.co.uk

HEALTH HELP IN VILLAGE AT CARNIVAL

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Health help in village at carnival

A pop-up village at the Caribbean Carnival on Saturday will aim to help people with mental health issues.

The idea is part of the national Time to Change campaign to tackle discrimination.

The village will be staffed by volunteers with mental health problems – including some from the British Caribbean community – with the aim of encouraging people to talk more openly about issues.

Staff from Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust, which runs mental health services in the county, will also be on hand.

There will also be entertainment including face painting, arts and crafts and jewellery making.

Sue Baker, director of Time to Change, said: "By being at this event we will bring people with and without mental health problems together to get new conversations started, which helps to tackle stigma and misunderstanding."

Saquib Muhammad, from the trust, said: "If we can tackle discrimination, people will find it easier to seek help."

The village will be open from 2pm to 8pm in Victoria Park.

CARNIVAL RETURNING TO STREETS

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Carnival returning to streets

Caribbean carnival-goers will be back on parade this weekend.Last year, a lack of money meant organisers were unable to hold the procession through Leicester's streets.

But this year, they hope 100,000 people will watch its return or join the celebrations in Victoria Park.

The procession will go from the park to the Clock Tower, while people in the park can enjoy Caribbean specialities such as jerk chicken and listen to steel bands and calypso music.

Organiser Dennis "Sugar" Christopher said the music would reflect the carnival culture of the Caribbean and have more acts aimed at youngsters.

He said: "I've been listening to people who say the carnival does not cater for young people.

"So this year I've taken a leaf out of the book of the Olympics, where the opening ceremony had young people lighting the cauldron.

"On the park, we're going to have more youngsters performing as well as national and international acts and bands."

Many young people will also be among the 1,000 dancers taking part in the carnival procession, which will set off from Victoria Park at 1pm on Saturday and pass down London Road into the heart of the city and back up Gallowtree Gate.

London Road to the south of the park will remain shut throughout the procession, while temporary road closures will affect Granville Road, Northampton Street, Charles Street, Belgrave Gate and Granby Street.

However, the longer-term future of the carnival remains uncertain.Leicester City Council is reviewing how much money it contributes to the event.

The carnival costs about £200,000. The council is considering gradually reducing its contribution from £100,000 to about £60,000 in three years' time.

Mr Christopher said it was important the Caribbean Carnival continued as an annual event.

He said: "People enjoy the carnival – the procession, music, floats, costumes and performances.

"The University of Leicester did research last year and found a wide range of people come to the carnival.

"It also brings a lot of people to the city and helps businesses."The carnival brings serious wealth to Leicester.

"We've got to do a lot of fund-raising ourselves and there will be buckets on Saturday so we ask people to come along and to please give generously."

Councillor Piara Singh Clair, assistant city major for leisure, said: "There is a review going on but we are very keen to promote processions and activities like this in the city.

"I think we do need to keep it going.

"I've been the past couple of years and I'm looking forward to going again on Saturday."

BUDGET CUTS WOULD THROW DOUBT ON CARNIVAL FUTURE

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Budget cuts would throw doubt on carnival future

The boss of Leicester's Caribbean Carnival says a city council proposal to cut its funding by £40,000 could jeopardise its future.

Dennis Christopher also claimed the carnival was bearing the brunt of funding reductions because Leicester City Council was "too scared" to cut cash which goes towards festivals such as Diwali.

The carnival costs about £200,000 to stage and is part-funded with £100,000 from the city council – a figure which is now under review.

Mr Christopher said: "This is one of the most popular carnivals in the country. Such a large cut to our funding could potentially see us have to cancel it in future years.

"This is a direct hit on the Caribbean community of Leicester. I understand the council needs to review its spending on carnivals but I feel it is focusing on this because it is too scared to cut funding for events like Diwali in case it offends some communities."

The carnival, which is in its 28th year, attracts more than 80,000 spectators.

Other festivals and events also face cuts. Under the proposals, payments supporting the Castle Park Festival will be scrapped, funding for the Hindu festival of Dashera will be halved, while the Humberstone Park bonfire will lose all its financial support.

Geoff Carr, 42, of Uppingham Road, Leicester, said: "I take the wife and kids to the bonfire at Humberstone Park every year. It would be sad if it had to stop."

Mary Carter, 56, of Aylestone, said: "I'm not Hindu but I think it's great we celebrate Dashera here. It adds to city culture and I'd hate for us to lose it."

City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said: "It is important to stress we are not proposing cuts to the overall festival budget. That budget of £365,000 will stay the same.

"Instead, we're looking at whether our priorities are right, and that each festival or event is being given a suitable amount of money."

Funding for the Leicester Comedy Festival, Belgrave Mela, Riverside Festival and the Christmas light switch-on is protected under the proposals.

Abbey Park bonfire, the St George's Day festival, the Diwali celebrations and the Spark Children's Arts Festival, would also receive the same amount of cash.

A consultation on the proposals is under way until July. Views gathered will go to the city mayor and his cabinet for consideration before final decisions are made in the autumn.

City residents are also being asked for ideas for a new festival.The mayor said an event similar to the City of Leicester Show was a possibility.

The event, held in Abbey Park until the mid-1990s, featured acrobatic events, military displays, show jumping, bands and more.To have your say, visit:www.leicester.gov.uk/ FestivalsandEventsConsultation

FOUR LEICESTER FESTIVALS FACING FUNDING CUTS

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Four Leicester festivals facing funding cuts

Funding for four Leicester city festivals could be reduced or cut entirely.

A series of proposals has been put forward by city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby after a review of how much money Leicester City Council spent on festivals was carried out.

Under the plans the Caribbean Carnival would see funding reduced by £40,000 over the next three years.

Payments to the Castle Park Festival would be scrapped, with the idea of developing a new weekend heritage and arts festival to focus on Leicester's historic core. The proposals also include halving funding for the Hindu religious festival Dashera and the Humberstone Park bonfire losing its support entirely.

Sir Peter said: "Leicester's festivals give us the chance to celebrate together, make our city a vibrant and exciting place to be and boost the local economy.

"The aim of this review has been to make sure that public funding of our celebrations is used in the most efficient way and the events we offer are as appealing as possible, to as many people as possible."

Funding for Leicester Comedy Festival, Belgrave Mela, Riverside Festival and the Christmas lights switch-on are all protected under the proposals.

Abbey Park bonfire, the St George's Day festival, Diwali celebrations and Spark Children's Arts Festival, would also continue.

Sir Peter also revealed that he would like to see a new festival created.

He said: "Personally, I would like to see a new festival that brings together people from our many different communities and celebrates city life. I would be very interested to hear what other suggestions people may have."

The council's budget to support festivals is £365,000.

Only festivals and events to which the council gives £5,000 or more are under review, meaning funding for Leicester Gay Pride, Leicester Horticultural Show, St Patrick's Day celebrations and Braunstone Carnival is not threatened.

All of the proposals and a questionnaire are on the council's website at the address below.

The consultation will run until 6pm on Friday, July 27.

Views gathered will go to the city mayor and his cabinet for consideration before final decisions are made in the autumn. Visit:www.leicester.gov.uk/FestivalsandEventsConsultation

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.