Festivals / st Pauls carnival
Bringing St Paul’s Carnival spirit to homes across the city
As the first Saturday in July approaches, LaToyah McAllister-Jones would normally be putting together final preparations for St Paul’s Carnival day.
While the streets may not be coming to life with the vibrant sounds, sights and smells of the annual celebration of African and Caribbean cultures this year, the chief executive says its spirit lives on in an exciting all-day online event that will be the culmination of a packed two-week programme.
“Whilst the pandemic has had serious repercussions for all of us, and particularly in the Black, Asian and other ethnic communities, there has also been an incredible outpouring of creativity and community spirit,” says LaToyah.
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“We launched our Spirit Up! United at Home on June 20 and it has been an exciting two weeks of events, including live performances, film screening and storytelling. It has been incredibly exciting to work with so many talented local and community artists, using digital platforms to show their work and tell the story of Carnival, its roots and the rich narrative of its journey to Europe and the streets of St Paul’s.”
The spirit of Carnival lives on even though the 2020 event had to be cancelled – Photo by Darren Shepherd
In March, organisers made the difficult decision to cancel the celebration that attracts some 100,000 people to the streets of St Paul’s due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The three months since has seen a rapid turnaround to bring the carnival spirit to the virtual world, a move LaToyah admits has been a steep learning curve.
She continues: “We will certainly miss the colour, the flavour and the sounds of Carnival this year. One of the key reasons we took a decision to take Carnival online was that it has been a challenging three months for all of us. We wanted to bring some joy, some positivity to our community and to the city. We also wanted to showcase artists who have lost work as the events season has been suspended.”
Carnival day on Saturday, July 4 will be marked with a live-streamed event, featuring Carnival DJs, some of the best performances from the two-week cultural programme, as well as a fancy dress competition and Zoom party.
After an official opening with Jendayi Serwah and //Kabbo Hue Ferdinand, there will be music from Bandyt, DJ Panther Panther, Selecta Watson, Angle Mel, DJ Bundy and many more.
BCfm, Ujima and Radio Bristol are joining forces to broadcast a four-hour show presented by DJ Style, Laura Rawlings and Pat Hart from 10am – 2pm on Saturday, with music, interviews and documentaries.
Tickets for Carnival Day are free but LaToyah is urging people to show their support through the #BackYourCarnival crowdfunding campaign.
LaToyah McAllister Jones says support is needed to bring St Paul’ss Carnival back next year – photo by Martin Booth
“St Paul’s Carnival is a small organisation that packs a big punch,” she says.
“We know how much people love the event and its importance to the city. We fundraise all year round to meet the near £500,000 costs of Carnival each year. The Arts Council and Bristol City Council fund half of that cost and the organisation raises the other half.
“As the funding landscape shifts to meet the new demands of Covid-19, St Paul’s Carnival will need your help to keep the show on the road.”
Support the St Paul’s Carnival fundraiser via www.crowdfunder.co.uk/st-pauls-carnival-spirit-up
Main photo by Darren Shepherd
Read more: St Paul’s Carnival 2020 goes online
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