Decision details

Charivari Day carnival engages 700 local children & adults. Local primary (incl. Sandgate) & secondary schools create spectacular costumes, public workshops, artist training. Large audience; Free event.

2019 is the 23rd Charivari Day and this year’s theme is A Night at the Movies. The event is an inclusive community carnival that has been taking place annually in Folkestone since 1997. Primary school children from Folkestone, Sandgate, Cheriton and across the district will make many 100’s of costumes in school, following inset training for teachers, who take a kit of materials back to their students to prepare for the event. Secondary school students come to Strange Cargo’s base in Cheriton where they will learn a wealth of valuable skills including costume design, how to build big structures, team working, use of hand tools and working with new materials. A number of groups of adults with learning difficulties also join in each year from The Shed and the Martello Centre, which is an important event in their calendar. Everyone takes part in the spectacular carnival parade, where they have the opportunity to show off their work and enjoy taking credit for making beautiful and

extraordinary carnival costumes in front of thousands of people from the Folkestone community.

To provide funding of £1000 to the above project.

Reason for decision:

The event has become an embedded tradition for Folkestone, a colourful, fun and entertaining carnival and music programme that attracts thousands of local people and visitors. It is a rites of passage for the young people taking part. We have teachers, artists and parents involved in Charivari now that were children in previous events, which is a wonderful legacy for everyone involved.