St Pauls Carnival - a brief history
Chloe Banks | 29.06.2010 11:22
A look at the history of St Pauls Carnival
Chloe Banks looks forward to Bristol's historic St Pauls Carnival with a brief history of the event.
Chloe Banks looks forward to Bristol's historic festival with a brief history of the event.
The St Pauls Afrikan Caribbean Carnival is one of Britain's best-loved and most vibrant celebrations. In 2008, over 65,000 people were attracted to this diverse area of central Bristol to experience the stunning costumes, sensational sounds and sparkling atmosphere. One can't help but wonder what the original inhabitants of the area would make of the sunshine shenanigans.
The transformation of St. Pauls from its beginnings could hardly be more marked. The St. Pauls of today has a bit of a Jekyll-and-Hyde personality. Mention its name to an outsider and they may whisper words of riots and drug-dealing, talk to a resident and they will tell you of community-spirit and creativity.
Its architecture is equally two-faced: behind all the modern concrete and eye-catching street art, you can still catch glimpses of the original splendour of the Georgian buildings. Indeed, St. Pauls was originally one of the most luxurious and wealthy parts of the city; a prime choice for a merchant's family home. And, like much of Bristol, that luxury was built on the profits from the slave trade. An irony that is hard to miss on the first weekend of July, when Carnival rolls into town.
St Pauls Carnival took on its current name in 1991, having started life, 43 years previously, as the St. Pauls Festival. The initial idea was to create an event to help improve relationships between the European, African, Caribbean and Asian inhabitants of the area. The shift from wide multiculturalism to a more concentrated African Caribbean focus began in 1975, when the Trinidadian, Francis Salandy, took over the organisation. Fortunately this shift, and the subsequent move from 'festival' to 'carnival', has not changed the inclusive feel of this annual event for people of all ages and backgrounds...
Continued on www.guide2bristol.com
Chloe Banks looks forward to Bristol's historic St Pauls Carnival with a brief history of the event.
Chloe Banks looks forward to Bristol's historic festival with a brief history of the event.
The St Pauls Afrikan Caribbean Carnival is one of Britain's best-loved and most vibrant celebrations. In 2008, over 65,000 people were attracted to this diverse area of central Bristol to experience the stunning costumes, sensational sounds and sparkling atmosphere. One can't help but wonder what the original inhabitants of the area would make of the sunshine shenanigans.
The transformation of St. Pauls from its beginnings could hardly be more marked. The St. Pauls of today has a bit of a Jekyll-and-Hyde personality. Mention its name to an outsider and they may whisper words of riots and drug-dealing, talk to a resident and they will tell you of community-spirit and creativity.
Its architecture is equally two-faced: behind all the modern concrete and eye-catching street art, you can still catch glimpses of the original splendour of the Georgian buildings. Indeed, St. Pauls was originally one of the most luxurious and wealthy parts of the city; a prime choice for a merchant's family home. And, like much of Bristol, that luxury was built on the profits from the slave trade. An irony that is hard to miss on the first weekend of July, when Carnival rolls into town.
St Pauls Carnival took on its current name in 1991, having started life, 43 years previously, as the St. Pauls Festival. The initial idea was to create an event to help improve relationships between the European, African, Caribbean and Asian inhabitants of the area. The shift from wide multiculturalism to a more concentrated African Caribbean focus began in 1975, when the Trinidadian, Francis Salandy, took over the organisation. Fortunately this shift, and the subsequent move from 'festival' to 'carnival', has not changed the inclusive feel of this annual event for people of all ages and backgrounds...
Continued on www.guide2bristol.com
Chloe Banks
Original article on IMC Bristol:
http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/692677