The Leeds Carnival, also called the Leeds West Indian Carnival or the Chapeltown Carnival, is one of the longest running

West Indian A West Indian is a native or inhabitant of the West Indies (the Antilles and the Lucayan Archipelago). For more than 100 years the words ''West Indian'' specifically described natives of the West Indies, but by 1661 Europeans had begun to use it ...

carnivals in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, having been going since 1967. The carnival is held in the Chapeltown and Harehills parts of

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...

every August bank holidayThe last Monday in August, a holiday in England weekend. Attendance is estimated at about 150,000."Thousands attend 46th annual Leeds West Indian Carnival"
BBC News, 27 August 2013. It is a three-day event, climaxing in a carnival procession on Bank Holiday Monday, which starts and finishes in

Potternewton Park Potternewton Park is a public park located in Chapeltown, approximately two miles north of Leeds city centre, West Yorkshire, England. Covering 32 acres, the park's attractions include open parkland, flower beds, a bowling green, a children's ...

in Chapeltown. A parade of floats and dancers makes its way along Harehills Avenue, down Roundhay Road in Harehills, along Barrack Road and back along Chapeltown Road to the park, where a wide range of stages and stalls provide entertainment and refreshment for carnival-goers. Since 2005 this event has been covered by BBC Radio 1Xtra in conjunction with Notting Hill Carnival.

Carnival Queen and King

The Carnival Queen is chosen on the Friday before the main event, and in 2008 for the first time a Carnival King was chosen: they were Davina Williams and Tyrone Henry."Leeds Carnival brings city to a sizzling standstill SLIDESHOW"
''Yorkshire Evening Post'', 26 August 2008. The 2009 King and Queen were Tony and Nicole Isles, who are father and daughter."Thousands attend oldest carnival"
BBC News. 31 August 2009.

History

Its founders were Arthur France, then a

Leeds University , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

student from

Nevis Nevis is a small island in the Caribbean Sea that forms part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies. Nevis and the neighbouring island of Saint Kitts constitute one country: the Federation of Saint Kitts and ...

, who is longstanding Chairman, Ian Charles, who was still Co-ordinator in 2008, and Gertrude Paul, a teacher. Arthur France proposed what would be the first Caribbean-style outdoor carnival organized by people of Caribbean origin in Europe. As the local Caribbean association was not forthcoming, he formed his own committee, and Ian Charles's home became a factory for costumes.Max Farrar,
"A short history of the Leeds West Indian Carnival 1967-2000".
/ref> Five contestants entered the first Carnival Queen Show, won by Vicky Seal as the Sun Goddess. They joined bands and dancers in a procession from Potternewton Park to

Leeds Town Hall Leeds Town Hall is a 19th-century municipal building on The Headrow (formerly Park Lane), Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Planned to include law courts, a council chamber, offices, a public hall, and a suite of ceremonial rooms, it was built be ...

, where a steel band competition was followed by a dance. About 1,000 people attended. The Leeds performers were invited to participate in the Notting Hill Carnival later the same year. In the 1970s a procession route was established from Potternewton Park and back again via the city centre. The steel bands were on human-powered wheeled platforms. In 1977 crowds of 10,000 were reported. The 1980s established a shorter route around Chapeltown and Harehills, and also sponsorship by local organizations. A Carnival Prince and Princess (children aged three to 13) were also chosen. Attendance reached 40,000 in 1988. In 1990 three people died during violence in the area afterwards.''Yorkshire Evening Post'', 28 August 1990. The decade saw increased professionalism by the now very experienced Carnival Committee and the introduction of lorries to carry bands. 1997 was the 30th anniversary and Arthur France received the

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

for his work with the local community. 2007 was the 40th anniversary, with crowds of 100,000 for the first time."Leeds Carnival's 100,000 crowd breaks record"
''Yorkshire Evening Post'' 28 August 2007. It was also the 25th anniversary of the Leeds West Indian Centre, and the bicentenary of the British abolition of transatlantic slavery. Ian Charles also received the MBE.

Gallery

Image:CarnivalLeeds2007 01.JPG, Carnival Procession 2007 Image:CarnivalLeeds2007_02.jpg, Carnival Procession 2007 Image:LeedsCarnival20085581.jpg, Carnival Procession 2008 Image:LeedsCarnival20085574.jpg, Carnival Procession 2008 Image:LeedsCarnival20085627.jpg, Carnival Procession 2008 Image:LeedsCarnival20085603.jpg, Carnival Procession 2008 Image:LeedsCarnival20085571.jpg, Carnival Procession 2008 Image:LeedsCarnival20085577.jpg, Carnival Procession 2008

References

External links

www.leedscarnival.co.uk
Leeds Carnival Organizers' website *{{cite web , url=https://leedsmasmedia.wordpress.com/category/leeds-carnival/ , title=Mas Media – Leeds Carnival Blog , author= , website=leedsmasmedia.wordpress.com , publisher=Wordpress , access-date=30 June 2019 Afro-Caribbean culture in England Festivals in Leeds Carnivals in the United Kingdom Chapeltown, Leeds Harehills

Carnival Queen and King

History

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading

External links