The annual Pill Carnival returns to Newport this Bank Holiday Monday after a two-year absence due to Covid and promises to be the biggest yet.
Hundreds of people are expected to line the streets of Pill for the town’s carnival featuring a parade, fun fair, music and dancing.
This year the carnival celebrates the 60th anniversary of Jamaica’s independence from Great Britain.
The carnival will also celebrate our monarch Queen Elizabeth II and her 70 years of service to the throne.
The Lion of Zion will lead the procession. Photo: Urban Circle
Organizer Ann Barton is delighted with her return and says there is much to celebrate.
She said: “We’re going to have a fantastic carnival, we’ve missed it the last two years. It will be nice to have something positive bringing people together after Covid.
“Five sails went down in the last minute, but we still have fifteen marks. We have the carnival queen float which is dedicated to the queen for her 70 years of service to the country.
“It will be a fun family day out for people to enjoy as we have a fairground with a range of food stalls from different cultures to enjoy.
“We’ll have reggae music there and a Jamaican stall, with the Lion of Zion leading the parade procession.”
Two young dancers prepare for the video pill carnival: Urban Circle
The parade will start at 1pm from the Pill Dock gates and proceed down Alexandra Road, Commercial Road, Cardiff Road, Mendalgief Road before ending at Pill Playing Field.
On the playing field there will be a huge fairground with rides, various food and drink stalls with a stage offering live music.
The Pill Carnival Committee has this year teamed up with Urban Circle to create ‘Zion the Lion’ which highlights Caribbean culture.
Mohammed Fez, digital content producer at Urban Circle, is pleased with the final product created by a group of young people in the art industry.
He said: “It’s designed to bring some pride to Pill Carnival, the lion is a figure of Caribbean carnival culture so it’s a representation of that.
“The lion will march at the front of the procession, behind him will be twelve smaller masked lions, and scattered throughout the rest of the parade will be another hundred small-faced lions.
Lynette’s summer vibe dance troupe floats into 2019
“We have a mobile sound system that will go through the procession which is on pedals, then they end up on the field which will be a music stop for DJs at the final point of the carnival.
“I’m really excited about the parade as we haven’t had a carnival for three years and it will be a chance to bring some joy to the Pilli area. It is a historical event that has been happening for decades.
“The weather is predicted to be great, so even better as people are excited about its return.”
Urban Circle and G-Expressions youth work team will be at the carnival for dancing, workshops and activities
The Pill Carnival will return on Monday, August 29, starting with the parade down Alexandra Street at 1pm.
