Banish the blues at carnival open day

The all-day fun-filled event is aimed at bringing families together to enjoy all the excitement that carnival offers.

The programme is packed full of activities including workshops every half hour from noon until 4pm, story telling and an opportunity to share memories to preserve carnival’s rich heritage.

Try your hand at headdress making under the expert tutelage of Kiran Patel or have a go at samba and dance with JP Courtney and Toke Lettman.

One of the highlights is carnival story telling with Morcea Walker MBE.

The 62-year-old Jamaican-born mother-of-three is a leading light in Northampton where she resurrected the carnival in 2005.

The event will also launch the UKCCA’s major regional digital carnival archive project in Luton.

It was sponsored by the Heritage Lottery Fund to create the first digital archive for carnival in the country.

A spokesman said: “It’s about collecting, capturing, preserving and sharing the heritage of carnival and street celebrations across carnival towns and cities in the Eastern region.”

Everyone will be invited to stay after 4pm to watch international carnivals displayed on a special screen.

> For more information visit www.carnivalarts.org.uk