Caribbean Carnival, Nottingham [BW Drawing Version]

A selection from the carnival parades

Alan Lodge

Carnival

/ˈkɑːnɪv(ə)l/ noun: carnival; plural noun: carnivals an annual festival, involving processions, music, dancing, and the use of masquerade. “the culmination of the week-long carnival” synonyms: festival, fiesta, fete, gala, jamboree, holiday, celebration, party; a public event or celebration, typically held outdoors and involving stalls, entertainment, and processions. an exciting or riotous mixture of elements.

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he Nottingham Carnival has a very long history going back to 1958 when a number of men and women who had immigrated to Nottingham from Caribbean island of St Kitts decided to promote their cultural identity by organising a small carnival event in an area of Nottingham called the Meadows. They made colourful costumes reflecting the American Indian style of dress which is a traditional form of carnival costume making in the Caribbean islands. They paraded around the area to the sounds of steel band and calypso introducing traditional Caribbean entertainment to the people of Nottingham.

Between 1958 and the early nineties the carnival was held sporadically and many attempts to revive the event failed mainly due to a lack of resources. However, in the early nineties the Carnival was revived again up until 1998 when the event was cancelled by the City Council due to concerns over health and safety and financing of the event. This resulted in a significant outcry from the local community who demonstrated their displeasure by staging a large march in the City Centre. This acted as the catalyst for the Carnival we see today.

Since 1999, the Carnival has developed into a truly multi-cultural annual event displaying hundreds of high quality carnival art costumes, plus numerous musicians including local, national and international stars.

Rampage dancer Patricia Forbes said: “Carnival is very inclusive, it doesn’t matter what age you are, what gender, what ability, it’s here for everyone,”

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Some of the Dance Troupes ....

Revellers Steelband – Sweet Pan ABC Dance School – Deus do Fogo (God of Fire) Nottingham School of Samba – Samba Dreams Ancestors Carnival Club – Kemetians Ancient Egypt City Arts & Can Samba – Flying Free Forever UK Trini & Firends – Trini Ryhtm Section Ayo International Group – Bermuda Gombey Inspire Urself – Rise of Aten in Ancient Egypt Pure Elegance – In Persuit of Serenity: Peace & Love T-Star Dance Company – Natures Garden Expression Dance Studio – Summer Catchers Expression Dance Studio – Summer Radiance Nottingham African Community – Four Seasons HGYC Allstars & Junkanoo Commandos – Celebration of Junkanoo

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Derby West Indian Center – Cultural Roots Rampage Mas Band – Dis is Mas

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lan Lodge is a documentary photographer and photo-journalist. Covering a wide variety of subjects of social concern, news, current affairs, community projects, sports, festivals, green issues and events. Examples locally have included St.Patricks Day, St.Georges Day, Pride, Asian Mela, Sikhs Vaisakhi Parade, Chinese New Year, Riverside, Green Festival, Civic events, Ashbourne ‘Shrovetide’ Football and the exuberance and vivid colours of the Nottingham Carnival.

Alan had produced work for a variety of publications, galleries, events and public spaces. Moving beyond photography, he has experimented with mixed media involving printed and projected imagery.

Nottingham Trent University (NTU) BA and MA Photography alumnus, Alan specialised in issues surrounding representation, presenting himself in print, broadcast and audio-visual formats.

A member of the National Union of Journalists, a ‘storyteller’ always on the lookout for another tale to tell. alan@alanlodge.co.uk

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