Thousands flocked to Harrogate town centre this morning for the Harrogate Carnival.
Starting at the war memorial and making its way down to Valley Gardens, a parade of dance, music and colour turned the town into a cultural hub.
Launched in 2019, the carnival is commissioned by Visit Harrogate – a tourism organisation run by North Yorkshire Council and produced by Harrogate International Festivals.
Cuisines from around the world, from Greek gyros to Japanese rice dishes to Turkish kebabs and churros were also available for foodies in the Valley Gardens.
Here is a selection of pictures from this morning’s parade.
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Harrogate Carnival to be held on July 30
Harrogate Carnival is set to take place on Sunday, July 30.
The free event will begin with a street parade through the town centre before heading to Valley Gardens.
The attractions will include a troupe from Leeds West Indian Carnival and a dance stage with belly dancing.
First staged in 2019, the carnival is commissioned by Destination Harrogate, which is a tourism organisation run by North Yorkshire Council and produced by Harrogate International Festivals.
The event, which celebrates global diversity, costumes, sounds and flavours, will include music, dance, themed food zones, art and craft workshops and street theatre.
John McGivern, destination events manager at Destination Harrogate, said:
“This exciting and unique event is perfectly suited to the Valley Gardens, one of many fantastic event spaces that we’re fortunate to have here in Harrogate.
“Carnival will also draw visitors from further afield to join in the celebrations with our residents, with opportunity to boost our visitor economy and showcase the town as an amazing visitor destination.”
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Cllr Derek Bastiman, the council’s executive member for open to business, said:
“Carnival is a chance for our community to come together, embrace diversity and create lasting memories.”
The full programme will be announced closer to the date on the Harrogate International Festivals website for more information: https://harrogateinternationalfestivals.com/
The arts charity is seeking volunteers to take part in the carnival.
Here’s what you can see and do at the Harrogate Carnival this weekendA parade featuring music, dancers and colourful costumes is set to wind its way through Harrogate this weekend with the return of the Carnival.
The free event on Saturday will see flag-waving crowds line the streets for the procession, which will snake its way through the town centre and down to the Valley Gardens.
It will include performers from Leeds West Indian Carnival, who will be joined by Houriat Belly Dancing, Sweep of Swallows kite puppets, Chinese dragon dancers, the Bare Brass Band and more.
The party will then continue throughout the day and will feature street theatre, interactive workshops, international street food and two stages hosting music and dance performances.
The event, which was previously held in 2019, has been paid for by Harrogate Borough Council‘s tourism body, Destination Harrogate, and will be delivered by Harrogate International Festivals.
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Sharon Canavar, chief executive, Harrogate International Festivals, said:
“The Carnival is free for everyone to attend and celebrate the diversity, colours, costumes, sounds and flavours from the four quarters of the world, right here in Harrogate.
“With global music and dance stages, themed food zones, art and craft workshops and street theatre, this family-friendly day is a true party in every sense of the word.”
The Carnival Parade starts at 11am at St Peter’s Church, On Cambridge Road, it will head up Oxford Street, along Station Parade, down Cambridge Street, past the Cenotaph and along Montpellier Hill into Valley Gardens.
Within Valley Gardens there will be family-friendly craft workshops, which will include chalking art, spray art graffiti, environmental craft, bunting making, mask making with the Leeds West Indian Carnival, and a dance workshop.
There will be a Global Music Stage, featuring DJ Trev, the Leeds West Indian Carnival, Bare Brass Band, Ajay Karmic Blues, Buffo’s Wake and Fernando Brazil.
And a Global Dance Stage, will feature Annapurna Dance, Houriat Belly Dancing, St. Aelred’s Irish Dancers, and Anonymas Dance.
There will also be a food zone featuring food from around the world.