Musical acts announced for Leamington Carnival

Floats and participants will assemble at the Campion Hills on Saturday July 14 at noon before following a route that turns left onto Leicester Street, over the mini island, onto Clarendon Avenue and down the Parade before ending at Dormer Place.

The procession will include spectacular floats, drummers, energetic dancers, colourful costumes and live bands.

The carnival festival, taking place at the Pump Room Gardens, will run from 11am to 6pm and will include a fun fair, more than 50 stalls, food and drink and live entertainment.

As we have previously reported, organisers have said that this may well be the last carnival procession due to a general lack of support.

New Leamington-based digital radio station Fresh Coventry & Warwickshire will host the bands’ stage at the festival from 1.30pm to 5pm.

Fresh station manager Aaron Gregory said: “We’re really looking forward to working with the Leamington Carnival Festival by hosting the Fresh Coventry & Warwickshire bandstand stage and helping to bring diversity, creativity and energy to Leamington. Supporting local new music is something we’re passionate about as a truly local digital radio station and we’re looking forward to meeting our listeners and introducing our presenters.”

Those performing will include 21-year-old Leamington singer-songwriter Taylor Louise.

Along with performing hits by stars such as Beyonce, Rhianna and Ellie Goulding, Taylor will also be playing self-written songs such as Take a Look at Me Now, which won her the BBC introducing Coventry & Warwickshire Radio ‘Artist of the Month’ accolade in 2016.

Five-piece Coventry band The Upsiders will bring a pop-funk party sound to the Fresh Stage at 3.30pm.

Playing quirky covers on an unusual array of instruments including the melodica, cajón and ukulele, the band are influenced by Earth, Wind and Fire, the Jackson 5 and current chart-toppers Bruno Mars and Ed Sheeran.

The Upsiders formed in September 2015 while they were students at Coventry University and are proud to have been named BBC Coventry & Warwickshire’s ‘Band of the Month’ for June 2018.

Headlining the Fresh Stage at 4.30pm will be urban singer-songwriter Wynter Black, formerly of groups Harmony Hood and Melody Stone who reached the Judges Houses’ stage of the X-Factor in 2009 and 2015.

For more information about the event or to get involved visit http://www.leamington carnival.org.uk