Forthcoming Events and Past Photos
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(All photos by Gerry Atkinson)
The theme of Whitstable’s 127th anniversary carnival is “Fiesta by the Sea”.
The word “fiesta” is from the Latin, “festus”, meaning joyful or merry. Equivalent words in English are “feast” and “festival”. So this is our festival by the sea, a day of joy and merriment where we can feast our eyes on all the wondrous sights on offer.
The purpose of carnival is to bring the town together. It’s like a magic spell: a binding charm. We weave through the town, from Tankerton to Canterbury Road, like a thread of enchantment, bringing light and colour into everyone’s life.
There will be giants, princesses, magicians, antediluvian monsters from the deep, talking fish, lobster bikes and oversized oysters. Sam the Giant will be there, with at least three other giants in attendance, plus the Invicta model, Total Pap and their Big Heads, as well as carnival courts from around the county.
Whitstable itself does not have a carnival court. We have replaced this with a “Whitstable Icon”, a person of any age, sex, colour, creed or orientation, who wants to represent Whitstable in the parade. Auditions for the role will take place from 2pm on Sunday 23rd June in the Community Room of the Labour Club, Belmont Road, Whitstable.
Come dressed in your best Fiesta finery. We are looking for colour and expression, with a seaside twist. Use your imagination. Have fun. Make yourself laugh. Whoever wins the coveted role will travel in style in the carnival’s own Surrey Carriage, while the runners up will walk alongside the carriage as attendants.
The committee has made a particular effort to engage with local kids this year. Pupils from Swalecliffe Community Primary School will be in attendance, wearing fiesta-style headdresses and accessories designed by themselves. They will walk alongside their school bus in their costumes. Pupils from Whitstable Junior School have designed posters which will feature in the program. There is also a youth art project, in conjunction with the Farskate Foundation, focussing on graffiti art and music.
The carnival will take place on Saturday 3rd August. Assemble along Pier Avenue and Northwood Road from 3.30 for a 5.30 start. Coincidentally, this is the nearest Saturday to the ancient Anglo-Saxon harvest grain festival of Lammas, and the Celtic fire-festival of Lughnasadh. “Lughnasadh” means “Assembly of the Sun”. To celebrate this we will be baking a special Lammas Loaf, which will be blessed by the Revered Simon Tillotson, team Vicar of Whitstable Ministry, at 2pm on Lammas Day, Thursday 1st August, under the yew tree in the grounds of All Saints Church. The loaf will then be distributed along the parade on the 3rd.
Also coming up is the fundraising auction and raffle, headed by Julie Wassmer, with Chris Stone and Graeme Bosley as her beautiful assistants, and Christine Mackenzie as the Raffle Queen: Saturday 20th July at 5.30 at St Peter’s Church House in Cromwell Road. Bring your own drinks and snacks. Tickets cost £5 a head and can be bought from Julie by messaging her on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. This is a hot ticket, as anyone who went to previous auctions will know, so get in early. If you would like to donate items, please contact Julie by the same means.
The carnival is always in need of helpers, whether as committee members, as stewards on the day or as volunteers doing a variety of tasks. For further information on how to join our carnival family, please contact the Whitstable Carnival Association at https://whitstablecarnival.co.uk/
Whitstable Carnival 2023
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Rain stopped and the sun was shining for Whitstable Cleaner Coast Carnival. Pier Avenue was a hive of activity. Carnival marshals collected walkie talkies and the Giants dressed up. The Rev. Simon Tillotson blessed the Lammas bread. Chris Stone and his granddaughter led the parade. ‘Keep the Poo in the Loo’ was the message!
The Mayor and Deputy greeted everyone by the Bowling Alley and the Panash steel orchestra entertained the crowds. People lined Harbour Street enjoying the sunshine. The 2023 Carnival was another great success and huge congratulations to all involved!
(Click on images to enlarge)
About Gerry Atkinson:
Training as a photojournalist, I started recording political protests in London in the 1990’s. I spent 18 months volunteering with CWERC, an NGO in the Philippines, recording the lives of indigenous women for an audio-visual ‘Weaving our own Dreams’. I moved on to New Zealand for 4 years working for newspapers. On returning to London I organised a collaborative project with people with mental health problems to produce ‘Through the Lens’ documentary photography exhibition.
My MA research in 2010 resulted in a book ‘Shades of Other Lives’, a series of windows at night, developed in reference to Labour Party comments that “We are all middle class now”. In 2011-2012, I spent 10 months in Greece, Cape Town and New Zealand working on documentary projects. Recent community projects are ‘Our Work of Art 2018-2019’. I have an NUJ Photojournalist Press Card and am currently discussing new ideas and collaborations.
I studied at Leicester University, the London College of Communication and the University for the Creative Arts.
I have extensive solo and group exhibition experience including the British Museums landmark exhibition “Rice and Life in the Philippines”. My work has been published in newspapers, books and magazines and is held in private collections.
Photo by Glen London
To see more of Gerry’s work, please go to: https://www.gerryatkinson.com/
About CJ Stone
CJ Stone is an author, columnist and feature writer. He has written seven books, and columns and articles for many newspapers and magazines.
Read more of CJ Stone’s work here, here and here.
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