Carnival

Around 25,000 people braved the weather and enjoyed the magnificent atmosphere in Wardown Park and Luton town centre.

The highlight of the day was the spectacular carnival parade which saw up to 2,000 people create an eye-catching, breathtaking procession through the town centre superbly reflecting the diverse mix of cultures in Luton.

From sea horses and Greek goddesses to Ghanaian warriors and Olympic rings, around 2,000 people from more than 50 carnival groups ignored the wet weather as they danced and sang their way across the town.

The Mayor of Luton, Cllr Don Worlding, watched the procession from the Town Hall balcony and was inspired by what he saw. He said: “This was one of my first official duties as Mayor of Luton and I was completely amazed by the costumes and floats. The creativity and colour was incredible and it is obvious how much time and effort went into them all.

“Seeing smiles on so many faces – particularly the young people – made me think about what a fantastic place we live in. I am proud to be Mayor of Luton where we take so much pride in our diversity and are able to celebrate it regularly through events such as carnival.”

Event organiser Andy Grays, Director of Arts at Luton Culture, said: “While the weather meant that numbers were down from previous years, we are very happy with the smooth running of this year’s event which is a testament to all the hard work and dedication over the last year by our small events team.

“The vast majority of people who came along yesterday enjoyed themselves peacefully and that is why Luton International Carnival has now built its reputation as being a safe, family-friendly event.”

Every year parade participants are judged on the quality of their costumes and performance. The judges this year were were faced with making some tough decisions to select the best groups.

We took to social media for this year’s carnival to provide residents up-to-the-minute updates on Twitter throughout the day. Carnival feedback was also captured on Twitter and here is a selection of tweets received from carnival-goers:

"Lovely time at #lutoncarnival2011 soaked but have great photos 2 make up for it. Well done 2 the peeps in the procession 4 keeping at it!x"

"that. was. AWESOOOME!!!! #lutoncarnival2011"

“Apart from a bit of rain, it was a wonderful carnival. It was great to see you down there. #Lutoncarnival2011”

Plans for the 2012 Carnival are already well underway. It is being moved to July as part of a weekend-long Cultural Festival to coincide with the Olympic Torch coming to Luton.

The event was sponsored by the University of Bedfordshire, London Luton Airport, Pictons Solicitors, Heart FM, BBC Three Counties Radio, the Herald & Post, The Luton News, Bartham Group and Diverse FM.