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Southend Carnival week (13th to 21st of August 2010) is set to be more exciting than previous years with events ranging from the new puppet festival, fair and procession along Southend seafront on the 21st of August. All events will support both the Bosom Pals appeal for Southend Hospital and the Homeless Action Resource Project (HARP).

• Carnival Fair - Carnival Fair 2010 will take place from the 13th to 21st of August at Chalkwell Park, London Road, Westcliff-on-Sea and is open daily at 2pm to 10.30pm except for the 16th of August when we plan to open at 2pm and close at 8pm. There will also be two family days on 18th and 20th when from 2pm to 6pm up to three accompanied children can gain free entry to the Fair and rides will be discounted. There is a small charge to enter the Fair (£1 per adult including 2 children 14 and under, 50p for age 14 and under) but this is the only fund the Carnival benefits from. The Carnival Fair has always been a very important part of our Carnival as the money paid on entry is the main earner of our funds, which are donated to charity. A Free Event for disabled children will be taking place in conjunction with the Showmen between 10am and 12pm on Monday the 16th of August, when rides considered safe for disabled people are opened.

• Southend Canine Society Carnival Dog Show - The annual Carnival Dog Show will take place on Sunday the 15th of August in Priory Park from 11.00am in conjunction with the Southend Canine Society. Entries are from 11.00am and forms and payment should be taken to the Official Caravan. The cost of entry is £1.50-2.00 and you can enter as many classes as you wish. All dogs must be kept on a lead. No puppies under six months or bitches in season. Cups & rosettes 1st VCH will be awarded after each class. There will be special Displays by trained groups of Dogs and a large Tombola.

• Junior Prince and Princess Competition - The Southend Carnival Junior Prince / Princess Competition will take place on Tuesday the 17th of August in the Kursaal Function Suite on Southend Seafront. Registration opens at 10.30am with the event kicking off at 11am.

• Land of Make Believe Teddy Bear’s Picnic - This year’s Teddy Bear’s Picnic will be held in Priory Park and this year’s event looks set to feed the hungry tummies of even the largest of bears! Children are invited to attend with their furry guest of honour from 11.30am on Wednesday the 18th of August immediately before the Children’s Fancy Dress competition. Everybody can take part as long as they have a furry friend accompanying them. Games and entertainment will be aimed at the under 7’s and children aged 3 years to 7 years are invited. There is a fee of £3.00 per entry and numbers are limited to 150 entrants so make sure those sleepy bears are on time. Please bring your own picnic, however party games for the children plus a free Goody Bag will be provided for all attendees.

• Fancy Dress Competition - This year's Fancy Dress Competition takes place on Wednesday the 18th of August in Priory Park. Registration begins at 12.30pm and judging starts at 1.30pm. This event has grown in size over the past few years and saw over 50 competitors take part last year. Children under the age of 13 on the date of the competition are invited to take part. Entries are accepted from individuals, pairs, groups, best fancy dress child and guardian, and decorated wheeled entrant. A fee of £2.00 is charged for each class entered.

• Carnival Illuminated Procession - The Procession includes bands, decorated floats, Notting Hill Style costumes and pedestrians. The Procession is a great opportunity for local businesses and organisations to get their message across and have some fun! The closing date for entries into the procession is 18th of August. The Procession on the 21st of August leaves Chalkwell Shelter at 7.45pm passing Southend Pier at 8.30pm and aims to arrive at the Castle Public House, Eastern Esplanade at 10pm.

By supporting Southend Carnival events you have the opportunity to help give Southend’s patients the best possible chance of surviving breast cancer through by supporting the Bosom Pals appeal.
Participants can also support HARP’s Day and Night Centres where 2000 service users are able to positively turn around their lives annually.

SEARCH ON FOR LOCAL CYCLISTS TO BE PART OF SOUTHEND CARNIVAL 2010
Are you a keen local cyclist interested in raising money for local charities?

Southend Carnival Association is looking for individuals or groups to enter this year's Southend Carnival Procession on two wheels.

Chris Charlas, Chair of Southend Carnival Association, explained: “There is a competition category for the best dressed cycle in the procession; this could include any type of people-powered cycle whether it has 1 or 8 wheels! Previously various cycle groups from Southend have entered the procession and really enjoyed it. It is also a great way to let people know about how they can enjoy cycling especially along Southend Seafront where we now have an extended cycle path.”

The best part of entering carnival is that not only can you raise awareness of your cause but also give something back to your local community.

SOUTHEND CARNIVAL PARTNER WITH ROSSI ICE CREAM!
Southend Carnival Association is delighted to announce that they are partnering with Rossi Ice Cream. This will mean that all visitors to the Southend Carnival Fair will be able to buy Rossi Ice Cream of which 10% will be donated to HARP and the Bosom Pals appeal. Rossi will also be donating ice lollies to children attending the disabled children’s day at the Fair on the 16th of August.

Rossi Ice Cream, like the Carnival, has a long history in Southend and is one of the few UK makers of artisan ice cream still using milk which gives Rossi its unique delicious taste. An ice cream van will be present at the main entrance of Chalkwell Park throughout the duration of the Carnival Fair, 2pm to 10pm daily, so make sure as you are passing by to sample some of their produce.

Chris Charles, Chair of Southend Carnival Association said: “It is fantastic that we have been able to work with Rossi Ice Cream once again and we are extremely grateful that they are able to make such a donation to both the disabled children attending the Fair and the local charities we are supporting in 2010.”

Southend Carnival Queen Georgina continued: “I am so excited that Rossi will be involved in our events this year…. What better way to help raise money for local charities than to enjoy one of their delicious ice creams?”

Colin Gray of Rossi Ice Cream explained: “As a fundamental part of Southend’s culture and history Rossi Ice Cream is delighted to be part of Southend Carnival and to have the opportunity to be part of their fun events and raise money for such worthy causes.”

Rossi Ice Cream is also searching for a local group who might be interested in entering the carnival procession on the 21st of August with an ice cream theme. This would be a great opportunity for any group wanting to enter but can’t decide on a theme or need more resource to do so. If you are interested please contact Rossi Ice Cream on 01702 467532.

SOUTHEND CARNIVAL & KURSAAL FUNCTION ROOMS ANNOUCE NEW EVENT FOR CARNIVAL 2010
Southend Carnival Association is delighted to announce that the Kursaal Function Rooms will be holding a Carnival Indoor Market on the 21st of August in the afternoon before the Grand Illuminated Procession parades the seafront.

In Southend’s most famous iconic landmark building, the Kursaal on Southend seafront where every year thousands of people visit for the Carnival, the market will be a must see attraction over the weekend. There will be stalls selling anything from arts, crafts, antiques, curios, gifts, novelties and everything in between! There is also a Café open all day serving home cooked classics alongside authentic Caribbean cuisine and a fully licensed bar providing refreshments. The event is open from 12pm until 6pm and entry is free.

Southend Carnival Queen Georgina explained: “This is meant that people visiting the town should also spend the day on the seafront so they can visit the Kursaal to see the stalls, food and other entertainment like the steel band before enjoying the procession in the evening. Both myself and Southend Carnival Princesses Lauren and Reanne are delighted there will be another event on such an important and exciting day for Southend and would encourage as many people as possible to visit the Carnival Indoor Market.”

Kursaal Function Rooms and Southend Carnival Association have been working closely for a while as they kindly provide the venue for the Junior Prince and Princess competition and are supporting the Carnival’s launch party.

Matthew Chambers of Kursaal Function Rooms said: “We held a highly successful indoor market during the Southend Air Festival and hope the format will also be a winner on Carnival day in Southend. The Kursaal has been an iconic part of Southend for many years likewise carnival is a fundamental part of the town’s identity and history. Carnival also raises funds annually for local charities so it is through supporting them we are able to also give back to our local community.”

For information on how to take part in any events please visit www.southendcarnival.org.uk or call 07940 208110.

SOUTHEND CARNIVAL RELEASES 2010 PROGRAMME
18th July 2010
This week Southend Carnival Association will be releasing all their promotional materials across the town. You may have already seen save the date postcards and posters around the town, but in the coming weeks you will be able to get your own free copy of the programme for 2010 which contains fair money off vouchers and details of all this year’s events.

Banners, postcards, posters and programmes will be distributed to libraries, schools, shops and the tourist information centres in the coming days. You may have also noticed that Southend Carnival has a new image, and have adopted a new logo. This has been the result of a new partnership with SWAN, a design and marketing agency based in Leigh-on-Sea.

Chair of Southend Carnival, Chris Charles said: ‘Our new logo and associated branding represents well the exciting, lively and vibrant image of Southend Carnival and the events we run each year. We are extremely grateful for our partnership with SWAN which is one of the many growing strong relationships carnival has with local business and their work is fundamental to increasing audiences at our events which in turn increases the amount of money we can donate to HARP and the Bosom Pals Appeal in 2010.’

Southend Carnival Court preparing for Hornsey Carnival
Paul Hope from SWAN Design said: ‘We are delighted to have the chance to work with an event that is such an important part of our community and to support local charities.’

The branding has already been used outside of the town as the Southend Carnival Court have taken part in Hornsey Carnival last weekend. Queen Georgina said: ‘The new sign on our float looks stunning and grabs people’s attention when they see our award winning float pass by, which also means we can build awareness of Southend.’

Southend Carnival Association have also committed to updating their web site with the new branding after the 2010 events. If you would like more information about 2010 events or to download your own version of the programme visit www.southendcarnival.org.uk. To contact SWAN visit www.swandesign.com.

SOUTHEND CARNIVAL COURT MAKE FINAL PREPARATIONS FOR SOUTHEND CARNIVAL WEEK WHICH FEATURES 2 NEW EVENTS
Southend Carnival Court, Queen Georgina and Princesses Lauren and Reanne are now making final preparations for the highlight of their reign, Southend Carnival Week 2010.

The official opening of the Fair in Chalkwell Park on Friday the 13th of August will kick off a week of exciting events around the town all supporting HARP and the Southend Hospital Bosom Pals Appeal.

In addition to the annual Dog Show, Junior Carnival Prince and Princess Competition and Children’s Fancy Dress and Teddy Bear’s Picnic there are two new events for 2010. The Kursaal Function Rooms will be hosting an Indoor Fair on the day the Carnival Procession travels the seafront (21st August).

To also help get into the spirit of the carnival why not try your hand at FREE workshops where you can create your own carnival headdress, make a samba style musical instrument and have a go at a mini procession. The workshops at The Clifftown Studios, Nelson Street provided by East 15 Acting School (part of the University of Essex) are available for young people and families at 11.30am to 1pm and 1.30pm to 3pm on Thursday the 19th and Friday the 20th of August.

Southend Carnival are also delighted to announce that there will be a firework display on the night of the procession at 9pm in the pier area.

Southend Carnival Queen Georgina said: ‘I hope to see as many people as possible during carnival week so that we can support both HARP and Bosom Pals. Having recently visited HARP’s day centre in Westcliff and met their service users I have learnt just how vital the work they do with young people to get them back on track is. Taking part in carnival events is a fantastic way to have fun but to also support your local community.’

It’s not too late to enter any of our events and application forms for them all can be found at www.southendcarnival.org.uk. To take part in the workshops call 01702 328279 to book and for information visit www.southendcarnival.org.uk or find us on Facebook.

SOUTHEND CARNIVAL PROCESSION RESULTS
The annual Southend Carnival Grand Illuminated Procession was held on the night of the 21st August and watched by thousands of people along Southend Seafront. There were over 70 entries in this year’s procession.

Southend Carnival Queen Georgina said: ‘It was great to see so many people out on a beautiful summer’s evening to watch the procession and support local charities, the HARP and Bosom Pals Appeal, who also walked the procession. My Princesses and I would like to thank everyone for coming and making this a fun evening.’

Please click here to view the winning entries in the procession.

Carnival Chair Chris Charles said: ‘Tonight has gone fantastically well and we have managed the slightly different route along the seafront due to the City Beach road works well. On behalf of the Carnival Association I would like to thank the police and all the stewards who spent their evening ensuring that the area was made safe as well as all our supporters.’

EssexTouristGuide.com

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