On a beautiful sunny day the crowds came out in force for a fantastic day out at the Ashington Festival.
The Carnival procession travelled through the village lead by Robert and John Harris dressed as ‘ The Blues Boys’, they were followed by the 2015 Carnival Princess Lilia Simpson, her attendants Evie Scoville and Daisy Wait and her pageboys Luke English and Matthew Roberts
Taking part in the parade were some fabulous Carnival Floats and Walking Groups. The overall winners were the The Ashington Minibus Group as “Fifty shades of Grey” and we’re delighted to see their entry caught the attention of the books author herself!. Other winners included Hillcrest horses with their brilliant Mr Men entry and Chanctonbury Playschool as the hungry caterpillar. A stilt walker, the Medina Marching Band and vintage vehicles made up a colourful parade.
As the Carnival entered the Recreation Ground there was entertainment for everybody, including Harris Brothers Funfair, a fun Dog Show, go karts, inflatables, car boot sale and rows of craft and charity stalls selling some beautiful things. The Flower Show held, as always, in the Community Centre had some wonderful exhibits of flowers and vegetables and craft items all to a very high standard.
In the middle of it all were our fantastic stage and arena with acts through the afternoon and evening. We welcomed back Jez Avery and his high octane stunt show, Wild West act “The Texans”, and the always brilliant Tom Foolery who also performed his brilliant new act “Dressage-Foolery” with his horse Bailey. As the sun went down “Absolute 70s” got the party started followed by a terrific tribute to Michael Jackson from Danny Oliver. The music and dancing carried on to the end of the evening with some popular tunes from “Absolute 80s” and our always popular disco. With a fantastic firework display, a wide variety of foods available and a licensed bar, it all added up to a thoroughly enjoyable day.
The Festival Committee would like to thank all the sponsors and everyone that helped on the day.
