12/01/2009 - Carnival To Spread The Fun For 2009
ORGANISERS of Dawlish
Carnival are making changes to the event this year to ease health
and safety fears. The event which is one of the biggest carnival
and airshow celebrations in South Devon's calendar attracted a
record crowd of up to 100,000 people last year.
Plans are already underway for this
year's extravaganza but organisers have decided to hold the air
show and carnival procession on separate days after the town
struggled to cope with the influx of people. Carnival committee
publicity officer Adam Dimond said: "The success of the airshow
and procession are now so big that most shops in Dawlish find it
hard to keep up with the visitors."
The Dawlish
Carnival Committee has also announced the dates for the major
yearly event which transforms the coastal town into a buzzing hive
of activity. The major change will see the grand procession
shifted from its traditional slot after the airshow to the day
after and is designed to create two major days of entertainment.
Carnival committee spokesman Adam Dimond said: "Our event runs
from August 15 to August 22 and will see the airshow on Thursday,
August 20 and the grand procession on Friday, August 21."
In a statement on
the carnival website the committee said: "It has now become such a
big mainstream event for such a small town that the committee have
had to take some serious thought into how the airshow and carnival
is run. Health and safety is a priority and has to come first.
"Although the dedicated team who organise and help to put on this
great event work so hard to make it that perfect free family day
out, it has been decided after a long discussion between committee
members to move the procession to the Friday evening of carnival
week.
"The committee
will be planning not one but two nights of entertainment on The
Lawn with music and a licensed bar on both evenings to enhance the
day programme on the Friday to retain the thousands of visitors in
the town looking for another great day of entertainment."
Dawlish's
week-long carnival programme has flourished over the years and is
one of the big summer highlights in South Devon.
A programme packed with games,
activities, entertainment, music, workshops and carnival royalty
are laid on throughout the week with the airshow being the main
crowd-puller.
Static displays
at Dawlish Warren allow visitors to meet the pilots and teams and
flight displays last year included the Red Arrows, Royal Jordanian
Falcons, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, an RAF Typhoon, a
Sea King helicopter, a Hawker Hunter and a KC135 tanker fly-past. |
