The borough’s biggest street festival will return this year with a focus on young, home grown talent.
Kingston Carnival as we knew it
An official date for Kingston Carnival has been set for Sunday, September 6 after the 2014 event was cancelled a month before it was due to take place.
Kingston council and police cited safety and security issues last year claiming that thousands of revellers could have turned up to see former Specials singer Neville Staple perform in the Market Place.
But the show did go on as the Specials frontman performed at McCluskys in an event dubbed Long Live Kingston Carnival.
The Surrey Comet reported on the shock cancellation last year
- Kingston Carnival cancelled
- Kingston Carnival 'victim of its own success'
- Save Kingston Carnival campaign gathers momentum
- Original Rudeboy Neville Staple performs at Long Live Kingston Carnival
Organisers Kingston Race and Equalities Council (KREC) have now announced there will be a focus on up and coming talent and local music acts this year.
They previously announced that the event would not have a big name headliner.
KREC chief executive John Azah said: “We are live and we are going ahead and we are very excited and have worked very hard on this.
“We have got the police fully on board this year and the council safety group is satisfied that we are on the right track.
“We are looking to be innovative and creative. It has been a hard year and we have fought hard to get it back.
“It will continue to be non-alcoholic and we are working with the Environment Centre in New Malden.
“We want to involve community groups that are interested in taking part. This year is going to be about young, local acts and businesses and up and coming talent.”
More than 700 people signed a petition calling for Kingston Carnival to be reinstated when it was cancelled last year and its future was debated at a full council meeting at the end of 2014.
Crowds gather in Kingston's Market Place for the successful 2013 event
Banquet Records owner and newly elected Lib Dem councillor Jon Tolley helped organise the music for previous carnivals. At the Surrey Comet hustings he said Kingston Carnival was one thing he would fight to bring back as a councillor.
Mr Tolley said: “We’re still yet to really find out what the staging, PA, budgets are, but we hope to be involved making it as good and safe as possible, with a view to getting back to the calibre of acts we want to be booking for 2016.”
If you would like to get involved in Kingston Carnival email: carnival2015@kigstonrec.org.
- Got a story? Email rachael.burford@london.newsquest.co.uk or call the newsdesk on 020 8722 6318.
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