Carnival sets standard for region, say organisers

A carnival marking 20 years since it returned to a town sets the "standard" for the region, one of the organisers has said.

Northampton Carnival was a fixture in the town from the 1960s until the late 1990s, when it stopped running.

But in 2004 Northampton Carnival & Cultural Arts was formed, bringing back the event in 2005.

Myrle Roach, from the group, said the parade on Saturday "starts the carnival season off for the East Midlands".

The event opens at the Racecourse Park in Northampton from 12:00 BST until 19:30 with entertainment, food, arts and crafts and charity and information stalls.

The parade leaves the park at 14:00, heading down Kettering Road through the town centre, returning to the park via Wellingborough Road.

This year's theme is Earth, Wind, Fire and Water and will feature schools, community groups and carnival troupes.

Ms Roach told BBC Radio Northampton: "I don't see it in all its glory, but I get it set up and I get it on the road and for me that's really important because if I don't do that all the crowds in town and along the route won't have anything to see."

The Northampton Carnival is a member of the East Midlands Caribbean Carnival Arts Network, which includes the Nottingham, Leicester and Derby carnivals, which take place in July and August.

"Northampton has come to be the standard of East Midlands carnivals, we set the pace," added Ms Roach.

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