THORNBURY Carnival is preparing to celebrate its 90th anniversary in style.
It’s 90 years since the first ever Thornbury Carnival was held in 1935, as part of the official celebrations of King George V’s Silver Jubilee.
This year’s event will take place on July 4 to 5 on the town’s Mundy Playing Fields and will follow the format of recent years, with a Friday night event followed by an all-day Saturday celebration.
Friday’s Swing in the Park includes music from the 1930s, ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s performed by Panache Steel Band and Thornbury Swing Band.
Thornbury Musical Theatre Group will perform a Grease sing-a-long, with visitors encouraged to dig out their Pink Lady and biker jackets and dress up as their favourite Rydell High character.
Saturday’s Main Event will feature 11 hours of entertainment on the main stage, from noon until 11pm.
The programme starts with an interactive performance by DJ Kool Kids, aimed at the carnival’s youngest visitors, followed by a singing and dancing talent show.
Local bands The Narwhal Monument and Tattsyrup will perform next, with DJ sets from DJ KitKat in between the live acts.
The headline act is Louis & The Love Cats, who promise a diverse repertoire of rock, pop, and soul classics.
KidZone is bigger, with more activities
Carnival committee chair Liam Williams said: “We always get great feedback from the community following each year’s event and we work hard to try and respond to this in our planning for the future.
“This year we’ve continued the theme of increasing the KidZone offer, and have added activities to keep younger children entertained throughout the day.”
Activities for children will run between 11am and 5pm, with most, including face painting, balloon modelling and puppet shows, included in the ticket price.
There will also be a bar and food concessions, stalls selling local products, and a Show ‘n’ Shine vehicle display, plus fairground and donkey rides.
Friends and town council funding keep carnival going
The event is entirely volunteer-run and, after being hit by bad weather last year, has been able to continue thanks to funding from Thornbury Town Council and the Friends of Thornbury Carnival.
Liam said: “It’s very much like putting on a mini-festival and what people see when they come to the event is really just the tip of the iceberg!
“We move heaven and earth to make sure the event happens each year but when the first weekend in July rolls around, we’re in the lap of the gods.”
For more information and early bird tickets visit www.thornbury carnival.co.uk.