Carnival gets Kingston jumping (From Surrey Comet)

Carnival gets Kingston jumping

1:08pm Monday 7th September 2009 in Top stories By Louise Robertson

An explosion of colour and exuberance filled Kingston on Sunday as the seventh annual carnival came to town.

Organised by Kingston Race and Equalities Council (Krec), visitors lined the streets to watch the procession, which started in Clarence Street, then headed to Guildhall and Market Place for an afternoon of world music, food and street performers.

Jerk chicken, curried goat, rice and peas and fresh coconut juice tickled the tastebuds and proved Kingston can do Notting Hill on a smaller scale.

Alicia Robinson, six, got stuck into a vegetable samosa and said: “It’s really yummy. I’m going to get my face painted like a butterfly. I might be a tiger though.”

Hip-shaking tunes on two stages got the crowds moving to infectious beats, with Mas bands Beerahar Sweet Combinations and Elimu Paddington Arts performing fresh from the previous week’s Notting Hill Carnival.

African drumming, Bollywood dancing, a steel band, Chinese dancing and even a Michael Jackson tribute provided plenty of fun while the Rose Theatre transformed its eating area into a Carnival Cafe for the day with Alexander D Great, the UK’s leading Calypsonian.

Kingston College and Kingston Gujarati School also put on a multi-cultural fashion show for spectators with a host of exotic fashions.

Mayor of Kingston Councillor Ian McDonald opened the event, and was joined by Channel 4’s Simon Israel.

Coun McDonald said: “It was a great lot of fun. I tucked into various bits of food - mostly Korean. It was great to welcome people from the carnival to the Guildhall.”

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