I love parades and carnivals, like most people I suppose and I have written about them on my blog several times. (see for example http://ibanda.blogs.com/panchromatica/2008/05/carnival.html). The English Carnival, whatever its pagan roots, was however declining into a slightly embarrassing, rather tatty thing until it became reinvigorated by the influx of Caribbean immigrants in the 50s and 60s, which in turn led to the wonderful Notting Hill Carnival. That and the huge growth in interest in Latin music and culture that began with the Mambo bands of the 50s, through Bossa Nova have changed many carnivals beyond recognition. No longer do we have a few elderly lorries, each bearing their load of slightly embarrassed folk in poorly made and designed costumes, all passing by on a rainy Saturday afternoon. Now we have wonderfully boisterous and noisy samba bands and brass bands all in in wonderful costumes. These pictures are made from photographs I took at my own local carnival in 2008 and 2007.