Regeneration required

East Oxford Action worked with local groups to help revive Cowley Road. Carnival as we know it today was born with a small test event on Manzill Gardens (April 2nd) and the Cowley Road got its groove back.

Carnival takes shape

The Cowley Road was closed for a small procession and Manzil Gardens accommodated the main stage.

Road closed

The Carnival was granted permission to completely close the Cowley Road for the whole of the Carnival, completely transforming the event and creating a whole new vibe.

Take a break

A food-focused event without a procession took the event back to its roots, relying on performers and local business sponsorship. MINI Plant Oxford gave support for the first time.

Giant puppets

20,000 people braved the rain to be thrilled by the spectacular giant puppets in the procession which had been created by community groups with local artists trained by Mandinga Arts.  Albanian, Czech and Polish communities participated in Carnival, and there was also a focus on South American culture.

Roaring Success

An estimated 66,000 people attended across Fiesta in the Park on the eve of Carnival, and Carnival both at South Park and on Cowley Road.  A major fundraising event, Fiesta in the Park, took place on the Saturday evening, where over 1,000 people enjoyed internationally renowned artists Kanda Bongo Man, Grand Union Carnival Band, Reggae vibes from local band Makating, jazzy Arabic film noir by Brickwork Lizards and Reggae, Dancehall and Ska from DJ Count Skylarkin. The Carnival was a fun-filled day for families in the Park and an incredibly vibrant groove all day, all along the Cowley Road.

Olympic Torch

The Carnival team took a step back as the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations and the Olympic Torch Relay took precedence at Carnival time. We partnered with Fusion Arts in community workshops to create flags and banners to decorate the Torch Relay route down the Cowley Road.

Biggest carnival yet

45,000 people got dressed up and came down to celebrate Oxfordshire’s best day out of the year. The procession celebrated the theme Oxford Faces and the new Scrapyard Stage at the Cowley Road at the Car Park, just off the Cowley Road was hugely successful. A series of varied monthly events preceded Carnival, helping to raise funds and involve different people in different ways, from Christingles and Carols for Carnival at St Mary & St John Church in December to the Aroma Carnival Cup International Football Tournament in June.

Delay

Carnival was held a week later than usual – 10 July – to allow for Ramadan. The theme ‘All the World’s a Stage’ was chosen in recognition of Shakespeare’s 400th anniversary celebration. The procession was the biggest and longest in its history, with 37 groups and well over 800 participants. Carnival celebrated its widest and most diverse programme of performances and activities at 29 venues.

Improving inclusivity

A year of improving inclusivity. We were proud to be awarded Bronze by Attitude is Everything  for making Cowley Road Carnival accessible. We initiated and managed inclusive arts training and projects to improve long-term inclusivity in the arts within the city and Oxfordshire. The Carnival theme was Space is the Place and we were funded by the Science Technology Facilities Council l to work with the Department of Physics at the University of Oxford and community groups to learn about space and develop artwork for the procession.

Anniversary

We celebrated our 20th anniversary year in 2021 with the theme ‘Mother Earth’ to focus on local, national and international environmental issues. Sadly, Covid restrictions prevented our ususal celebration on the streets for the second year. Joyfully, we still celebrated in Carnvial style online with a Virtual Carnival Day. We organised the first House Floats in the UK and communities got together in small street parties.