Liverpool’s CARNIVAL TIME!

Every October as part of Black History Month Katumba holds a range of events in Liverpool that culminate in the Halloween Parade in Liverpool City Centre.

Merging a wide variety of visual and performing arts, we bring professional artists from across the UK to work with the local community in delivering a varied Workshop Programme, which feeds into the production of a large scale, imaginative, immersive outdoor spectacle – the Carnival Parade.

Our artists employ skill and imagination to produce carnival artefacts such as lanterns, drums and costumes, develop and convey insights and experiences, and construct safe, exploratory environments and spaces to work within, before coming together at the Parade to realise the shared vision of the Parade itself.

Now in its eighth year, with 185 artists and performers and an audience of 4,000 people, the Halloween Carnival Parade has become the focal public Halloween event for Liverpool.

 

 

The 2022 Katumba Halloween Carnival Parade

Our latest Carnival Parade, held on Saturday 29 October 2022, was our most attended and widest supported Carnival Parade so far, in terms of both audience, participants and partners.

As well as the professional artists from across the UK, we worked with just under thirty local community-centred or community-led creative organisations to produce the Parade.

The themes and reach of the Workshop Programme and Carnival Parade are focused on elevating, celebrating, sharing and developing art forms that have their roots and heritage in traditions from the diversity of African and Black diaspora.

In addition to, and as part of that, central to the Carnival Parade is a rich narrative around climate change that is in continuous development.

We believe this is incredibly important as part of the work of advocating for our future, but in particular for countries and people who, currently and for the foreseeable future, are most affected by climate change.

The Parade began on Saturday 29 October on one of Liverpool’s most vibrant streets, Bold Street.

An audience of 4,000 people watched the parade as it made its way down to Liverpool One, stopping there for its grand finale on Paradise Street.

It was truly, a street thumping, pavement marauding, booty-shaking spectacular: creating a very special and rare accessibility and opportunity to take up space and make noise in these central city spaces for our community groups and performers, as well as bringing a vital, unique, creative and non-commercially pivoted value to spectators.

The People’s Parade

Everyone is invited to take part in this immersive spectacle combining drums, fire, lights, illuminated bicycles, dance, theatre and costume.

At the most accessible level, the parade is open for people to just turn up.

Many in the audience were shoppers and passers-by who could not resist the beat of the full complement of Katumba drummers, the fascination of the fire dancing display, the impact of the costumes and the intrigue of the cycling ‘blockade’ leading the march.

Alternatively, you could find yourself part of the parade itself by joining in one of the many highly accessible workshops held in the run up to the parade.

Our two weeks of free family-friendly cultural, arts and wellbeing activities and events across Liverpool were in evidence as the groups, each in distinctive costume and delivering their own unique performance, showed incredible stamina and kept the energy flowing and the parade bouncing.

Climate Change

This year and next, we continue to explore a crucial narrative: the perils we and our planet face.

We vividly imagine, carnival style, a visitation from compelling, mesmeric peoples from our future, returning to warn us of what lies ahead if we do not take action.

Drawing on traditions of Druidic Samhaim, Dia de los Muertos, Dia de Finados in Latin America, and Axexê in African Yorubá – when it is believed a portal opens between dimensions – we bring to life this message of protest against the forces that are leading us towards extinction – and manifest action on climate change.

Read more about the 2022 theme here.

Check out our video and image gallery below to get a feel for the Parade’s sheer joy of expression and freedom every year, when we take over the city centre and turn it into a playground of imagination, sound and movement.

It is a wild and transporting street party – the best way to come together, explore our fears and let them go in an energetic symphony of fun.

The Workshop Programme

We hold two weeks of community cultural workshops in the run up to the Carnival.

Participants will express their realities using oral traditions and ludic sharings.

We learn about positive and accessible changes, and collectively find solutions to be translated into pieces of music, dance, theatre and art that then become part of the Carnival Parade.

Our Workshoppers learn from professional artists and create their own Carnival props, beat, and/or dance moves for the big night.

We provide Workshop opportunities for all ages.

See the full Workshop Programme here. (Click on Past Events to see the full Workshops listings.)

Getting Involved on the Day

On the day we encourage everyone to simply turn up and enjoy it.

Everyone is invited to take part in the Carnival Parade – not only as spectators, but as players making it come to life.

The streets are lined with spectators enjoying the multi-sensory experience.

 

 

Telling the Stories of the Parade

Photography and capturing media for making video and for exhibiting and disseminating through various in-person and digital platforms is a large and ever-increasing part of what we do.

We have professional photographers documenting the Carnival Parade and we have a huge archive of incredible images to work with.

Our marketing team are driven by passion and participation.

Developing our community in person and online means we are growing all the time, as well as constantly deepening our existing community.

Volunteering

Volunteering is a wonderful way to get involved in the Carnival Parade.

Our volunteers amaze us every year, supporting and being such an important part of what makes this amazing event happen, whilst enjoying an incredible experience.

Stewarding, artist liaison, event logistics, marketing support – we have an array of areas to get stuck into!

To volunteer, please email us now at manager@brazuka.org.uk

Press

Help us spread the word and get the low down on the best Carnival stories!

Call Katumba Press Office on 0151 221 9603 9am-3.30pm Tuesday – Thursday or email hello@katumba.co.uk for images, stories, further info and interviews with our founders and partners.

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