The St. Paul's Carnival is an annual carnival that takes place in the St. Paul's district of Bristol every year. It is in celebration of the Caribbean-African culture that has shaped the St. Paul's community. It was started in 1967 and has ran continuously every year on the first Saturday in July. Lucky for me, I have been able to come to this carnival two times; both occasions the weather has been perfect, the food has been perfect, and there is this overwhelming sense of pride and community.
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| The Malcolm X Centre |
The carnival is a complete celebration of community and the people who live there. They are so proud of their Caribbean past, their new lives in Bristol and their sense of belonging to their new home. My first time there, I only had been in Bristol for one month and I had just moved from across the Atlantic to start my new life. My history is quite different, but I was there to celebrate the same thing; a new beginning, a new life in Bristol.
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| Joe with some St. Paul's Street Art |
The St. Paul's Carnival of 2011 was even more fun than last year. Now that I have been here for more than one year, I finally have a sense of belonging; Bristol has now become my home. I went to the carnival with one of my best friends, Joe. I originally met him in Australia 2 years ago and we became instant best friends. I also went with my husband and my newest friend, Lina. She, ironically enough, is an American girl who has travelled recently to Bristol, because like me, she fell in love. We had so much fun together embracing this annual Bristol carnival that is now a part of our new lives. Being with close friends and celebrating love and life is what the carnival is all about. This years experiences were even better because I was with the people I care about, and who care about me in return. We were able to just simply enjoy ourselves and have fun.
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| LOVE |
The carnival was filled through out the day from any where to 40,000 - 60,000 people, but it didn't feel crowded or claustrophobic at all. Instead it was filled with this sense of kinship. It was an exciting time of celebration with the focus on love and happiness. People were dressed up with face paintings and wacky out fits, drinking, dancing, and having fun.
Everyone who lives in the area opened up their houses and backyards to everyone at the carnival. They were selling jerk chicken from their barbecues and even letting strangers into their house to use the bathroom. It was a massive out door street party that the entire community was involved in. We went from back yard to back yard dancing to different types of reggae, and if we wanted a change of pace, we would just walk to the next house. The DJs were the home owners so there was a great variety of music.
The biggest party was at the Malcolm X Centre where everyone was dancing to drum and bass. The entire festival was an interesting mixture of smaller street parties with big out door clubs with well known DJs and stages. We ended the night in the middle of a random street with a random DJ playing dance music.
All the streets were blocked off the entire time so everyone could just enjoy the booze, the food, and the music. The celebrations started in the early afternoon and carried onto the early morning of the next day.
When you are at the festival, you can't stop feeling happy and just give into the music, the laughter, and the fun. Everyone has different experiences, but for me, what really made this carnival great, was being with great people.
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| HAPPINESS |
Everyone who lives in the area opened up their houses and backyards to everyone at the carnival. They were selling jerk chicken from their barbecues and even letting strangers into their house to use the bathroom. It was a massive out door street party that the entire community was involved in. We went from back yard to back yard dancing to different types of reggae, and if we wanted a change of pace, we would just walk to the next house. The DJs were the home owners so there was a great variety of music.
The biggest party was at the Malcolm X Centre where everyone was dancing to drum and bass. The entire festival was an interesting mixture of smaller street parties with big out door clubs with well known DJs and stages. We ended the night in the middle of a random street with a random DJ playing dance music.
All the streets were blocked off the entire time so everyone could just enjoy the booze, the food, and the music. The celebrations started in the early afternoon and carried onto the early morning of the next day.
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| Street Party |
