Narberth Carnival triumphed over the weather forecast this afternoon, Saturday July 27, and took to the streets of the town in ideal conditions.
The town embraced the event’s new start time to turn out in force, lining the High Street and Spring Gardens to enjoy the lively procession.
Town crier Ceri Barnes led the parade, with Goodwick Brass Band delivering a stirring performance around the route.
There was plenty of entertainment provided by the floats and walking characters in the parade.
Trail running group, the Narberth Nobblers, created a magnificent pirate tableux, feautuirng plenty of yo-ho-hos, parrots, cutlasses and sea shanty sounds from the Jolly Nobbler.
And on the day after the Paris Olympics’ stunning opening ceremony, the Narberth Goes for Gold float from a large group of Narberth families and friends struck a highly topical note.
‘Athletes’ of all ages and sizes sported their medals for a variety of disciplines, with their float crowned by a replica of the Eiffel Tower.
The Carnival Queen was 12-year-old Kristina Thu Foldi, while her six-year-old sister, Lilly Thu Foldi, was Carnival Princess. Fairy Queen was Daisy-Mae Fulcher, 4, and Rose Queen was Seren Jenkins, 8, with the royal ensemble completed by Carnival Prince Bran Watkins.
Narberth mayor and Narberth Civic Week chairman Chris Walters was delighted to see so many people turning out to enjoy the carnival – and even more pleased that the threatened rain held off.
“It’s great to have the weather on our side today,” he said. “We’ve taken a bit of a gamble today by bringing the carnival start time forward, after requests from the public.
“We’ll be getting feedback after the event about the time change, and we can always revert back if necessary.”
Chris said that Narberth Civic Week had been ‘fantastic’, and although Wednesday night’s pram push had to be cancelled because of the rain, other events were moved indoors if necessary.
“Civic Week only has a small committee but they have done an excellent job,” he said.
Chris thanked Civic Week secretary Caroline Coaker - who is retiring from the role this year - for all her hard work.
On a sad note,he dedicated this year’s carnival and Civic Week to the organisation’s former financial officer, Cllr Sue Rees, who sadly died earlier this year.
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