21/07/2010 by admin.

The Arts festival parade was held at the beginning of July this year and proved to be a spectaclar success.

The Parade started later than previous years as a test run for the event in 2011, when the parade starts the Island Games which are being hosted on the island, starting on 26th June and finishing on the 1st of July 2011.

For the first time in many years since Ryde Carnival association had stopped using the Simeon Street Recreation ground as a start point the various groups from both the island and mainland set up their tableaux’s in bright sun shine with a slight breeze. The Parade kicked off at 6pm with Raw Samba heading the parade along a packed Esplanade. The performers put on a fabulous show that delighted and entertained all ages.

With cheers and clapping from the crowds, it made the performers keep up their endless performing, which wound it’s way around the town, and then finishing back at Simeon Street Recreation Ground. It was wonderful to hear the comments from many of the audience who said that the parade was one of the best that they had seen in many a year.

A big thanks should go to all the performers, their artistic directors and the Carnival Learning Centre for putting on such a well organised carnival. I’m sure that we alll can’t wait for the Parade next year which should be one of the biggest the island has ever seen.

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14/08/2009 by admin.

This August Bank Holiday (30/31 August) thousands of people will take to the streets of London for the multi-cultural Notting Hill Carnival, the second largest street festival in the world after Rio.  But meanwhile, the UK’s oldest carnival parade whose rich history can be traced back to Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee of 1887, will take place in the delightful seaside town of Ryde on the Isle of Wight (19/22 August and 5 September).

Throughout the summer, Islanders stage over a dozen carnivals culminating in the last carnival of the season at the end of the summer holidays - the ultimate carnival at Ryde.   A fantastic spectacle featuring over 2000 performers and dozens of colourful floats with musical influences from Rio Samba, Trinidad Street Pan as well as local Isle of Wight musicians, the event is held over 3 days giving visitors plenty of opportunity to party as they watch the parades make their dazzling journey through the town and along the seafront.

Ryde Carnival is reputed to be the oldest established carnival is England. The first true event was held in 1888 but the real origins extend a year further back to Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee of 1887.    These days, while still maintaining a distinct Island character, the flamboyantly dressed dancers, creative carnival floats and giant costumed characters are more akin to Rio than Ryde.

There are three parades to choose from but the Illuminated Carnival is the most spectacular:

Children’s Carnival - Wednesday 19 August
Main Carnival – Saturday 22 August
Illuminated Carnival - Saturday 5 September

For start times and procession routes please visit www.rydecarnival.co.uk

In recent years, the Isle of Wight has developed strong ties with Notting Hill Carnival with many of the organisers visiting after the Bank Holiday either to spectate or take part in Ryde Carnival bringing their vibrancy and colour to an Island reminiscent of Notting Hill’s Caribbean carnival roots.

The Isle of Wight is extremely proud of its carnival heritage and was the first county in the UK to set up a Carnival Learning Centre dedicated to enhance Ryde and other Isle of Wight carnivals by bringing a distinctive new flavour to the existing carnival traditions.

Creative courses at the Isle of Wight Council-managed centre include learning how to make the flamboyant costumes, masks and headgear for the huge floats and parades.  Visitors can get involved in a wide range of one-off taster sessions and weekend workshops. Check the website www.thecarnivallearningcentre.org for latest information and prices.

It’s simple to get to the Isle of Wight, there are up to 350 ferry crossings a day from Portsmouth, Southampton, Lymington and Southsea.  Once you’re there it’s easy to get around, ferry routes connect directly with the Island’s road, rail and coach links.

For details on how to get to the Isle of Wight, where to stay and what to see and do,  visit www.islandbreaks.co.uk or telephone 01983 813813.

This article has been kindly supplied by Isle of Wight Council’s Tourism Division

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15/07/2009 by admin.

The Ryde Arts Festival Parade took place today 11th July with as wonderful display , now in it’s 7th year it grows from strength to strength.

The parade is a showcase of all the hard work that local schools and community groups do to brighten up the streets of Ryde before the main carnival season kicks off next weekend. Schools and groups from Ryde and Newport were joined by Dot-to-Dot from Paulsgrove Portsmouth as well as Ryde House and the Isle of Wight College.

Despite the drizzle it was warm and spirits were kept high by the promise of good crowds. The carnival artists were not disappointed! Crowds lined the route from Dover Park , the High Street and Union Street.

New flags designed and produced by local artists in a course run by Sharon George of Mas Fusion for the Carnival Centre and the NCFE Level 3 students showcased their costumes for the first time. As usual the costumes were beautiful and covered so many different aspect of childhood games, from Dart boards to Nursery Rhymes an event not to be missed.

View the Ryde Arts Festival 2009  gallery here

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09/02/2009 by admin.

Ryde Carnival Association are holding a 80s & 90s Night to raise funds towards the running of this years carnival.
It will be held at
Ryde Castle Hotel
on Saturday 11th April 2009
from 7.30pm - 12.00 Midnight
Tickets are £5.00 each and can be purchased from various venues in Ryde, including The Bagel Wrap and Fired Art.
Fancy Dress is optional
There will be a fund raising raffle with a variety of prizes.
All are welcome from the very young to the young at heart.

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09/02/2009 by admin.

Ryde Carnival Association 2009 Selection Evening will take place on
Friday 3rd April 2009 from 7.00pm - 9.00pm
at the Carnival Learning Centre, Westridge Ryde.

If you are interested in becoming a performer for this years carnival we are looking for young women and men  aged from 12 to 21 years.
All are welcome to join us either on our float or our band of followers.

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29/08/2008 by admin.

Yesterday evening saw the start of what should be the highlight of all the year for the island carnivals.

The procession was headed by a specially commissioned costume for the event which was a confection of Stars, Rockets and Balloons in shades of purpl, pink and sliver. RAW Samba wowed the crowds with their fantastic dancers and musics, then came the Ryde Carnival Float with it’s fantasy Seahorses riding the waves and our wonderful troupe of dancers in thier beautiful colourful costumes.
Local schools and community groups from the Ryde area and further afield put on a spectacluar display, intermingled with family costumed groups and individuals. Local Marching bands joined in with their traditional tunes and marching performances.

The floats that joined  the procession came from around the island including, Sandown, Ventnor, Cowes, St. Helens to name a few with their elegantly dressed Carnival Queen’s.

Other floats that joined us included “Santa’s Confused.com” which was built and designed by Binstead community group to highlight global warming. The Isle of Wight Strollers put on a brilliant display of “Biggles” with their actors flying along the route in Tiger Moths in wonderful choreographed flying formations.

The biggest group of the evening Mas Fusion ended the  parade with a fabulous display of Japanese Migoto Matsuri Festival with veiled travellers, flower bearers, Japanese  warriors, Peacocks and Herons with fabulous King and Queen individual costumes, this group is as good if not better that many of the Carnival troupes that come out of London’s Notting Hill carnival.

We would like to thank everyone who took part in what was a wonderful evening of entertainment and pure enjoyment. We would like to thank everyone who came to watch our first parade of the week.

Don’t forget the children’s parade is on this afternoon and starts at 1.30 pm Assemble in Upper Dover Street, Judging starts at 2.00 pm and the Procession moves off at 2.45 p.

Please come and support all the children at the event and don’t forget to give generously to the collectors.

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27/08/2008 by admin.

We have been trying to get the photographs of the Ryde Arts Festival parade on line for weeks, but due to circumstances beyond our control it’s only been possible to sort them out today.

The photographs have been taken by our Publicity Officer Claire Kay and a number have also been contributed  by Mandy from Wight Studio.
If you wish to order a photograph please contact us via info@rydecarnival.co.uk stating the number/s and sizes required and we will let you know the cost and where to order them from.

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06/07/2008 by admin.

It will take a week or so for all the photographs (all 700 plus of them!!) to be sorted through of this years Arts Festival Parade. So what I have decided to do was give you a little taster of the colour and spectacle of this years parade.

I must say that the theme “Weird Science” was covered from such a variety of different angles that this has got to be the best parade yet. I hope that you will all agree. It was a bit windy so some of the costume weren’t in their full splendor, but that didn’t detract from the end result. The Junkanoo were placed nearer the end of the parade although originally they were meant to front it, but sometimes it’s best to keep the “Best till Last” and this was certainly the case, they were LOUD!! and highly colourful with the crowds cheering them on. Even the High Commissioner of the Bahamas joined in! He played the Cow Bells during the parade, wouldn’t it be nice if our councillors on the Island let their hair down occasionally, well certainly the Leader of the Council Arthur Taylor was game and he happily joined in with the Junkanoo when they performed to the crowd at the Western Gardens after the parade had ended, they received rapturous applause from the crowd who were treated to a second performance.

I hope that you will all enjoy this tiny taster of photographs.

Jo Treagus Heading the parade with RAW Samba

Nettlestone Primary School

Greenmount Primary School

Ryde House Carnival Group

Downside School

Arch Bishop King Middle School

Chris Harris from Masquerydes’ Stilt walking troupe

Bishop Lovett School

Ryde High School

Junkanoo Drummer

Junkanoo Uphonium player

Junkanoo Cow Bell player

The High Commissioner of the Bahamas with Arthur Taylor the Leader of the Isle of Wight Council and Junkanoo artists Angelique and Barabbas

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05/07/2008 by admin.

Don’t forget to come and support the Arts Festival Parade in Ryde today.

It starts at 1.15pm from Park Road, continues along Star Street, turning in to the High Street the continuing down Union Street and finishes by LA Bowl at the Western Gardens.
Don’t miss the spectacular “JUNKANOO” from the Bahamas who start their UK tour here today in Ryde. What ever the weather has in store for us this should be one of the best Arts Festival Parades Ryde has seen since it began all those years ago.

Once the parade has finished don’t forget that you can enjoy the rest of the afternoon and evening down at the Western Gardens watching the bands and seeing a live performance of the Junkanoo Troupe playing traditional music from the Bahamas at 4.00pm. To top off the evening there will be a spectacular fireworks display.

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05/07/2008 by admin.

Despite the weather not being that clement, a group of hardy Islanders came to watch the bands doing their gigs down at the Western gardens in Ryde. The Music was brilliant and although we kept being hit by rain showers during the evening it didn’t stop us from having a dance and enjoying some of our local bands. The highlight of the evening had to be the Maxwell Brothers who ran through a variety of popular Rock anthems. They left the best till last, playing a Hendrix set, with their lead guitarist putting on a wonderful display of his incredible talent!
Here a a few photos of the evening:-

Cathy and Paul Jiving in the Rain

Rain doesn’t stop the fun!

Risky Business

Risky Business

The Maxwell Brothers

Drumming Heaven

The Lead Guitarists

Watching a master do his thing

Probably the Best Guitarist on the Island!

That “Hendrix” Moment!

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