The Burnham Carnival, held on Saturday 30th September 2023, was a great success. It was colourful, entertaining, featured very entertaining floats and was enjoyed by thousands despite the rail strike.
Our congratulations to all those who made the effort to participate in this great local tradition, and especially the the Carnival Committee, an excellent, dedicated, hard-working group of local volunteers who are really, really good at what they do. They deserve the town’s high praise.
RESULTS
Please click on the link below for the results of the various Carnival competitions, including rankings for shop window displays and the procession floats.
Below are a selection of photographs from the funfair and the day of the carnival, taken by Cllr Nick Skeens. Do please contact him if you want to use a picture or have one removed – you are free to use them but of course, it’s good to know who is using what, and where. The captions are written, in the main, as some sort of guide to people wanting to identify a picture or its content. Do please contact Nick if you have more information about the people, or the float, in the picture.
Aerial merry-go-round at the funfair on Riverside Park, which arrived the previous weekendAll the fun of the airMaypole in the skyBeautiful colours on a sunny September day at the funfair in Riverside ParkA busy West Quay on Carnival Day as people move between the high street attractions and the funfairA packed high streetPacked high street – 2The stalls attracted a lot of attention and did good businessApple bobbing – a feature of carnivals and funfairs for time out of mindPeople in sleeveless tops – probably the warmest Carnival day on recordDoing the Okey Cokey on the High Street. 1Doing the Okey Cokey on the High Street. 2. the picture shows Bam Bam, a family entertainerDoing the Okey Cokey on the High Street. 3Busy High Street, looking westPete Crisp, local musician and sound engineer, leading the processionColchester PipersHappy face JaneAir cadets on the march. 1Air cadets on the march. 2The first float – Send in the Dengie, a new community group in townThe first float. 2Colourful collectors – all the money goes to local charitiesFirst Burnham Sea ScoutsSea Scouts. 2The court of RamsgateThe beauties of Ramsgate. 2Street dancers – the Tilbury TwirlstarsSweet Dream dancers. 1. Sweet Dreams by the Tortuga Crew – a local businessEandE dance groupEandE dance group. 2Maldon Carnival Queen’s CourtMajorettes, dancers and twirlers. 1Majorettes, dancers and twirlers from EandE danceMore of Sweet Dreams – the Tortuga Crew. Such drama and colour in this year’s festivalAmong the most colourful floats of the entire processionNorthward lightsA local clothing/printing company, Stitch and Print, creates a sea serpentIs the sea serpent made out of spinnaker sails?the spinnaker sea serpent… terminating in a jellyfish……. a pod of jellyfish…Pink court – Braintree and Bocking Queens CourtGreen dancers – the Witham TwirlettesGreen dancers. 2‘I love rock’n’roll’. The Wannabes from Burnham‘I love rock’n’roll’. 2Visiting Queen’s court from Great DunmowVisiting court from Great Dunmow. 2
The Victoria Pub – in carnival mood. 1The Victoria Pub – in carnival mood. 2The Victoria Pub – in carnival mood. 3Knightswood care home float – demonstrating armchair exerciseThe Chelmsford CrystalsThree queens from the Deal Regatta in Kent – having lost their float to health and safety…The court of Basildon and PitseaThe Limes Farmshop and Alllotments put on an amazing displayAndy Sadler of the Limes, most convivialLimes and allotment produceAllotment holders with their barrows of vegNick of the LimesAllotment bicycleAllotment flower girlsAllotment flower girls. 2Wonderful costumes courtesy of the Allotments and the LimesRope skipping outside the library by the Dengie 100 Running ClubThe skipping ropes were popular in the procession pausesBarnyard float by Elmwood Equestrian Centre. Not unlike a scene out of the Wicker Man, or the Magus…The colourful chicken from Elm FarmBarnyard. 1Barnyard. 2Rubber duck in a bubble bath – by the Ducklings Mother and toddler groupThe Royal Court of WithamWickford Queen’s Court – The Queen of Hearts at the Madhatter’s tea partyBring on the bulldozers… The Hipsey family have long been among the most imaginative float-builders in the CarnivalThe Hipsey’s impressive, imaginative display was as a comedic commentary upon proposals to relocate the town’s surgery on the outskirts of town, in a new developmentTheir proposed solution – a mobile operating theatre, powered by bicycles, which are, of course, environmentally friendly…Onlookers are both bewildered and amazedBurnham’s new ambulance service…Little mobile houses demonstrating there is plenty of room in the middle of the high street for more development…Not the name of a local development…The Burnham rowing clubBlack, purple and pink street dancers. – the Platinum majorettesBlack, purple and pink street dancers. 2Black, purple and pink street dancers. 3The Burnham Rowing Club puttin’ on the RitzThe Burnham Rowing ClubVanspangleBurnham County Primary School enacting Alice in WonderlandNightlight robberyThe local lifeboat floatRNLI mascot, Stormy DanRampage – the Caribbean-style dancers from the Notting Hill Carnival as the glorious finale. 1Rampage – the Caribbean-style dancers from the Notting Hill Carnival as the glorious finale. 2Caribbean-style dancers from the Notting Hill Carnival. 3Caribbean-style dancers from the Notting Hill Carnival. 4Caribbean-style dancers from the Notting Hill Carnival. 5Caribbean-style dancers from the Notting Hill Carnival. 6And then, everyone went to the funfair… What a brilliant night!
More of Sweet Dreams – the Tortuga Crew. Such drama and colour in this year’s festival
