Carnival wants floats back and mulls Bank Holiday Monday return

Welshpool Carnival will turn 60 next year and to mark the occasion the Town Council is determined to bring back a procession, and it wants the community to help them make it happen.

This summer’s edition enjoyed an increase in footfall to the carnival field at Maesydre, and the event ran to budget, but in an open feedback meeting held in July it was made clear that the town wanted to see a procession return after being axed this year due to a lack of interest.

At this week’s Town Council Events & Planning Committee meeting, Cllr Morag Bailey reported that there was a demand from the public meeting for a more independent committee to be formed and plan for 2027.

“It was a very good meeting with a range of people there and we asked how many would join a committee once formed and they all indicated they would,” said Cllr Bailey.

“We will lose them if we do it the same way every year with the Town Council’s Carnival Committee doing it. There is a lot that can be delegated to other people to organise.”

Councillors also discussed a return to a May Bank Holiday Monday and will keep all ideas on the table for the formation of a new committee to decide.

It was decided that an open public meeting would be held before Mid-October with invites to attend sent to businesses, organisations and community groups.

Next year will mark 60 years since the first Welshpool Carnival, and Cllr Jackson Quarrell said that a nostalgic nod to the past would be good to mark the occasion.

Councillors liked the idea of having more external and public participation on a carnival committee that would still run under the umbrella of the Town Council.