Indymedia York

Wall-to-wall ColourAt 1pm the gates of Dean's Park were opened and over 150 participants flowed out and into the streets of York, bringing with them music and colour. Two Samba bands, lots of children dressed in colourful costumes, many made from recycled materials, unicyclists, cyclists, jugglers and the like and more took part in the procession, which wound its way through the city's streets for over an hour. In some of the narrower streets the crowd was pressed to the wall as the performers passed, and the noise was even louder. Passers by stopped to watch, many looking rather surprised at the sudden interruption of the otherwise calm afternoon of consumerism.

Balloon Launch SuccessAnd balloon let-downsOnce the procession was in Parliament Street, the Lady Mayoress of York was on hand to begin the count down for the balloon launch, and announced the charities who would benefit from the large amount raised. Their were also stalls from several campaigning groups, including York University's People & Planet group with an anti-Campus-Expansion petition and York Rotters promoting composting as ever.

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Conflux performThree performance areas and several busking pitches provided entertainment for the rest of the afternoon. One of the bands from the procession, Samba York, later took to the stage to perform to a crowd who looked on rather quietly, bar a few students who got on and danced regardless. Various other local bands also performed on the main stage in Parliament Street. In St Sampsons Square it was a variety of dance troups and choirs which kept everyone entertained.

Adding Colour to Grey PavementBy the fountain, circus skills and the Brazillian 'Martial Art' of Capoiera were on show. During the afternoon, a spontaneous game involving chalking took place, culminating in an outburst of colour on the pavement of Parliament Street, with slogans and artwork covering a large area appearing in the space of about 20 minutes.

Sustainable TransportThe whole carnival had taken on a sustainable theme, with part of the program reading "It's getting easier to see how we affect out environment, and even easier to do something about it!" There was plenty of information on hand, and large recycling bins for people to make use of for empty drinks cans and bottles. (It might be added that the balloons in the balloon launch might not have been as environmentally friendly as they could have been).

Ceilidh in the StreetTo say that the publicity had, by some of the organisers admission, been lacking, the event was well attended, and certainly drew a crowd from those already in town shopping. Most of the organisers were students, and several will have left York long before the next carnival makes it onto the streets and so volunteers for next years event are most welcome (see the website). One of the roles of the carnival is to bring together students and non-students to celebrate the city, and in this and more it succeeded. It all ended in a good old Ceilidh, and an evening of entertainment in Judges Lodgings.