The return of Sittingbourne Carnival has been a triumph beyond our wildest expectations

The excitement and anticipation ahead of the return of the carnival after an absence of 5 years, had been building steadily online for the last few weeks, but nothing could have prepared me for the scale of the crowds who turned out, and the enormously energetic atmosphere.


The pre-carnival gathering at Milton recreation ground, where the carnival entries undertake final preparations ahead of judging and commencement of the parade was absolutely buzzing with excitement.


It is a real testament to the hard work that has so obviously gone into organising this much loved and much missed town event, that so many groups, associations and organisations had decided to take part. What the Sittingbourne and District Carnival and Court Association and in particular organiser in chief Kelly Kay have done, we thought practically impossible, especially in the first year of resurrecting the event.


The carnival parade set off along vicarage road led by Miss Sittingbourne, Urennaya and the Mayor of Swale, Cllr Ben Martin onboard a horse drawn carriage the before making its way along a very packed Milton high street.


The parade then progressed along Crown Road, Chalkwell Road and the A2 prior to its final journey along West Street and through Sittingbourne high street where hundreds of people lined the way. The crowds were the largest I have seen in a very long time, and any concerns about holding the carnival on a Sunday melted away very quickly.


Kelly Kay said “I am so proud of what we have achieved, it has been over a year in the making and it was absolutely fantastic.”


“The crowds were huge and the support our community gave us on Sunday was incredible. We have been showered in positive and fantastic feedback from the people of Sittingbourne and Milton. I am so glad that you all enjoyed it, honestly it means a lot to me.”


“Thank you to everybody who came out to support us and everybody who took part including the all the various entries who put so much time in to making it fantastic, the lorry drivers, the marshals, the security team, all the courts, all the associations, volunteers, my mum and dad and my husband and all of the Sittingbourne community for getting behind us.”

“The carnival is for you, that is why we did it, so thank you.”


It is clear from all the messages of support from both members of the public and participants alike that litter so many facebook posts that this was extremely popular and much-loved event and I for one can’t wait to see what they do next year.

Andy Hudson
Sittingbourne.Me