There are times when Bishop’s Castle might strike one as a sleepy place, but looks can deceive. This is a town that knows how to party, and there are several festivals through the year. Today is carnival day. The parade kicked off at 1.pm. headed by the town crier caught here on his cell phone – a pleasing conjunction of time past and present on the communications front.
Fat Cat Brass followed on his heels, setting the tone – full-on jollification despite the cool and gloomy day.
*
And then came the floats, with much emphasis on growing and farming and country living: lots of vintage tractors, classic vehicles, steam engines and the timber merchants’ smart fleet of trucks hauling the big floats.
*
After wending around the town and down our street, the parade headed for the park for an afternoon and evening of fun and games: bouncy castle, live music, falconry demo, sheep show and mini digger competition not the least of it.
And now in late afternoon, the sun has come out. A grand day out all round then.
A red letter day! Nice to see the village tradition is carrying on though most of those floats aren’t anything as exciting as the ones I used to partake in when we would all be dressed according to the theme of that year. The competition was fierce to win! The last two floats are very nicely done and I love your town crier.
I have so say some of the floats’ themes were not exactly obvious. But everyone was having such a good time.
Big city may have all of the necessary party stuff but you can’t beat small town fun.
You can’t, Beverly. And the more home-made the better.
What fun! I love small town parades.
It’s good that people still want to take part – in them and as audience for same.
😍👍
what fun – must be so few places that still have a festival like this
Yes, I’m thinking that this may well be true. Much effort goes into organising them.
Ah, carnivals in Shropshire! Many years ago ((well, 30 odd let’s say) , I have fond memories of a couple of times watching tha carnival at Chard, I think, where there were floats, with much emphasis on growing and farming and country living: lots of vintage tractors, classic vehicles, steam engines.
They seem almost timeless events in some ways, don’t they. A neighbour told me she’d watched this particular carnival for 40 years and it really hadn’t changed much.
Which I think is something you would see in the west country more more than you would in the Southeast where I am….
Yes, areas where there are still small villages away from conurbations.
These people know how to party.
It’s been gloomy in Nairobi too.
Ah, your gloomy time of year if I remember rightly. Hope all is well with you, Mak.
Yes, Tish. Its that time of the year.
How are you doing?
I’m OK. Spending much time watering the shamba. We’ve hardly a spot of rain for over 2 months, which for England is pretty astonishing.
You haven’t been paying the rainmaker. Now just water the shamba my friend.
Ah, now you tell me. I should’ve known. I’ve just been reading a paper about the Nganyi rainmakers of Western Kenya.
Appease the rain god and you will have heavy showers soon. This reminds me of a book we studied in high school: looking for the rain god and other stories. The rain god depended on child sacrifice, I think.
Hm. I once had that book. Was sacrificed itself in one of our house moves.
That looks like great fun. Lacking castles, we have reenactments of early revolutionary battles. Garry, when working, used to cover those events. I think he really enjoyed them and he brought me with him a few times. Nothing else would have gotten me out of bed and functional at 4am 😆
Re-enactments are very popular here, mostly Civil War with lots of skirmishes. A 4 a.m. start sounds horrendous though.
Historical accuracy at work.
Yes.
I love festivals:). enjoy xx
Lots of good atmosphere, Janet 🙂
I can well imagine….hope some strawberry vodka was on hand…:)xx
Noticed red in every photo Tish. Those floats reminded me of my days on the farm in UK, YFC, hockey teams and of course tractors…
Yes, what is it about tractors. They seem to loom large in my long ago memories too. These days they’re mammoth machines stuffed with high-techery. Not at all like the good old Massey Fergusons, open to the elements.
Oh yes good old Massey Fergusons, great memories.
Hard cold seats though.
What fun! I love a Community Carnival.
Always so good hearted.
😊
This looks like great fun and it’s always heart-warming to see a community come together like this 🙂 I do love that last float!
It’s charming isn’t it. Could almost be fifty odd years ago.
Great fun!
Looks like a good time was had by all 😀 … love the Town Crier photo. 😀
It was a happy day all round.
I so love carnivals! Thank you!
Grand indeed. Small town parades like that are the best; they seem to be like a flowering of the town’s personality, the culture and heritage and all that right? Reminds me of some I’ve been to in my mom’s village in southern Germany, or the one in our little American city “Issaquah.” In fact we have a “running of the salmon” festival there in early October each year that’s also an arts fair. Thanks for sharing Tish!
Yes, celebrations of place and belonging, memories past and reinvented, marking the seasons as we’ve done forever, albeit with new trappings. ‘The running of the salmon’ – now that sounds like a festival with very deep roots. Thank you for mentioning it, Bill. I’m thinking, these days, we need all the festivals we can get.
Celebrations of place and belonging, that sounds gorgeous. Amen to the reveries!
Wonderful Post Thanks