The 2018 Gloucester Carnival takes place next month, in what promises to be a fantastic day for the city.

The carnival procession will meander its way through the city streets on 21st July when the people of Gloucester take to floats to show off their colourful costumes. Karen Pearson, Events and Operations Manager at Gloucester Carnival, says the 2018 celebrations promise to be a must-see event for the city residents. She said: “Gloucester Carnival continues to go from strength to strength, and 2018 promises to be another fantastic event.

“This is going to be the 82nd carnival held in Gloucester. This year we’ve got a wonderful procession, the theme being ‘world in motion’ which reflects Gloucester’s industrial heritage around the making of vehicles. Another theme we’re reflecting is the role migration has played in the long history of the city. Carnival is always one of the best days in the calendar, it’s a day when everyone comes together and has a great time.

“The whole carnival is centred around the procession. People will be dressing up in amazing costumes and having a great time. The carnival is a great celebration of colour and fun. The most satisfying part of the job is seeing the smiles on the faces of the participants and everyone who comes to watch the procession. Carnival is all about people coming together and having fun and bringing communities together. A lot of the organisations involved in the carnival arts partnership will be involved in designing costumes for local community groups.

“The procession starts on lower westgate street and goes through the city centre all the way down to Gloucester Park. It usually takes about an hour or so to complete the route, that’s obviously dependent on the number of participants. We’re really pleased with the number of entries for this year’s carnival, it promises to be a fantastic day. We’ll be praying for a nice sunny day, although even if it does rain we won’t be put off.”