Whitley Bay Carnival
- Bass Notes Coffee
- May 29
- 2 min read
Last weekend, 24th & 25th May saw the return of this much loved Carnival. Driven by a community desire identified in a Big Local consultation, the Whitley Bay Carnival has blossomed from a small parade back in 2014 into a highlight of the town's calendar. Throughout its 11 years the Carnival has benefited from support from both local and national organisations such as Whitley Bay Big Local and the Creative Civic Change Programme to the North of Tyne Combined Authority and Arts Council England.
My association with the Carnival is now in its third year starting back in 2023 being one of my first big events. I love being involved in Carnival for many reasons, not least of all because I live here! It's a real treat to serve friends, family and the many familiar faces that I've got to know since moving here.
If I were to have a regular pitch, which I don't, I think I would struggle to find a pitch with a better view than the one I get for the two days I serve at Carnival. Of course it may look beautiful but a pitch location like this comes with its challenges which arrived in full (wind) force on the Sunday. Sadly this meant that the main performance stage had to be taken down for safety reasons and I was treated to some gentle swaying in the van for most of the day, at least it didn't rain though!
Funding for events like this seem to become more challenging year on year but somehow the team at Salto Arts Productions manage to always pull it all together. It's a fulltime job in everything but name it would seem. I hope there will be a 12th year in 2026 and I'll get my dream view from my serving hatch once again.
