Gala Evening gets everybody in the carnival mood
Excitement for Luton International Carnival is reaching fever pitch after a special preview event last Friday (16th May).
Over 100 guests came to the UK Centre for Carnival Arts to enjoy exclusive previews of this year’s carnival costumes and some great performances at the Luton International Carnival Gala Evening, hosted by award-winning journalist and TV presenter Juliet Alexander.
The evening was kicked off in style with a live performance from two-piece jazz steel pan band ‘Women of Steel’, who welcomed the crowd with their unique sound.
Next up to wow the crowd was Calypsonian Tobago Crusoe, whose brilliant set had the crowd roaring with laughter.
No Carnival Gala evening would be complete without a sneak peak at the costumes, and eight of Luton’s carnival groups gave guests an exclusive preview of what they’ll be showing off in the parade come Sunday, 25th May.
9Red, the Ghana Society, the OM Group, Rampage, Samaritans, Scandalous, Sickle Cell and St Kitts all took to the stage to perform, with guests amazed at the quality and range of costumes on show.
Festive Road’s Jurassic Jockeys took the entertainment to another level (quite literally), when they strode in on stilts and skillfully weaved their way around the crowd in a huge dinosaur costume.
The night was drawn to a close in fantastic fashion, with performances from the UK Centre for Carnival Art’s steel band in residence, Revellers and some of Rampage’s young dancers.
Lisa Marie Trump, Chief Executive at the UK Centre for Carnival Arts, said: “Our Carnival Gala evening was a huge success. It was great to see national Carnival artists new to Luton audiences, alongside our excellent homegrown talent from Luton Association of Mas – proving that Luton’s carnival artists are really aiming high.”
“After seeing some of the biggest, most ambitious costumes our carnival groups have been working on, I’m even more excited for Carnival day on Sunday, 25th May. The gala evening was just a taster of how great Luton International Carnival 2014 will be, and I can promise you that it will be very, very special.”