For more than 40 years thousands of people would flock to a coastal town to enjoy an annual street procession.
The Lowestoft Carnival parade was a major summer spectacle on the town's calendar.
The last street carnival parade in Lowestoft organised by the Friends of Lowestoft Hospital was held in 2012.
Back then, it was held in September to avoid the Olympic Games - but sadly it rained.
In 2013 - with less than four weeks to go before the planned procession in August - organisers reluctantly said the 2013 parade would not go ahead due to a lack of entrants.
Amid the backdrop of issues surrounding road closures, traffic management and red tape, the committee of the Friends of Lowestoft Hospital - who had organised the annual procession through Lowestoft for decades - called time on their support for the carnival in March 2014.
A walking ‘Parade on the Prom’ event was held in 2016 as part of the Lowestoft Summer Festival.
And in 2023 a carnival procession was held as part of a celebration of the London Road Lowestoft Heritage Action Zone.
But now, people in Lowestoft expressed excitement - with moves afoot to bring back the Lowestoft Carnival.
A public consultation around the new Carnival is planned for Sunday, October 20 at 7pm.
Here the Seagull will share its outline plan for how the parade would work and give people a chance to comment and get involved - leading to lots of positivity on social media.
'A traditional carnival'
Des Reynolds, assistant manager of the Seagull and event organiser for the proposed parade, said: "We have been working on a plan to bring back the carnival for several months now.
"There are a lot of unique challenges with holding a carnival in Lowestoft, and we wanted to make sure we could offer something that was feasible before we went public.
"Having now completed initial discussions with the local council and formed a plan we believe could work, we want to find out if local people will support the idea.
"Inevitably costs and logistics mean that there will be compromises and some elements of the carnival we propose for 2025, will not be the same as events of the past, but we still think we can deliver something that people will enjoy and recognise as a traditional carnival."
People wanting to support the carnival are encouraged to attend the consultation event on Sunday, October 20 at 7pm at the Seagull Theatre in Morton Road, Pakefield, or email community@theseagull.co.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel