Charivari Gets Inspire Mark!
The event, devised and delivered by Strange Cargo Arts Company, received the 2012 Inspire Mark for engaging young people and families in Folkestone through its annual carnival and music programme. The Inspire Mark is awarded to innovative and exceptional projects directly inspired by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
This year was the 13th Charivari Day Carnival and involved over 750 local people, including 530 students from local primary and secondary schools. With support from Strange Cargo, individuals and groups created their own colorful parade costumes at public workshops, with this year’s theme “Money Makes The World Go Around”.
As part of the event’s legacy and a key reason for being awarded the Inspire Mark, Strange Cargo was also able to create a carnival training programme for teachers to encourage sustainability and leave a legacy of skills within the classroom.
An incredible 10,000 spectators enjoyed the vibrant Carnival Parade which set off on route through Folkestone, making its way from the seafront to The Leas where live music played at the Bandstand, followed by an evening programme of music held at the Coastal Park Amphitheatre.
This year Charivari Day was led by internationally renowned artist Mikhail Karakis for the first time. After spending time at the summer workshops he will help next year’s event delivery and logistics, which is planned to be bigger and better than ever before!
Artistic Director Brigitte Orasinski said, “This year’s Charivari Day was one of the best in years, we were able to involve more adults and children in the carnival workshop programme in the weeks leading up to the event, which made the parade all the more spectacular and exciting. We were delighted to be awarded the Inspire Mark by LOCOG which recognises inspirational projects. We are already planning for next year’s event, which will build on the relationship with contemporary artist Mikhail Karakis and the East Kent Festival Cluster –leading to the development of new elements for next year’s parade!”.
