Melksham Carnival & Party in the Park – What a swell party it was!

The organisers of Melksham’s Carnival and Party in the Park have hailed both events runaway successes, with the community turning out in force to support them.

Thousands of people lined the streets to watch this year’s Carnival procession, while King George V Playing Field was packed with revellers for the Party in the Park.

Beth Dark, from the Carnival Committee said, “It was a fantastic turnout. The whole community aspect of the day and everybody coming together to have a good time was really heart-warming. Everything was superb. There were great floats, a fantastic procession and thousands of people enjoying it all.”

After a successful parade, Pig & Whistle’s ‘Nightmare in Wonderland’ was named as the best float with Candy Jax named as the best walking group. Enigma was named as the best majorette group with Melksham Oak as the best school float and the mayor’s choice was given to The Manor School.

This year’s Party in the Park event was a busy affair, with thousands going through the gates during the day.

Live music performances got under way in the afternoon as crowds browsed the stalls and enjoyed the entertainment. Amongst the highlights was Bernie Bennett with his comedy tightrope act, Peppa Pig and performances from Titan the Robot who has previously worked alongside some of the world’s biggest names such as Will.i.am, Rihanna and Will Smith.

The evening saw a line-up of top live music with performances from Courtney Buchanan, Izzy F, the Ray Jones Band and the Abba tribute band, Arrival UK. The evening culminated in a spectacular fireworks display.

Tom Sangster, chair of the Party in the Park organising committee said, “It was a good day. Everyone has been very positive about the event and the crowds during the evening looked to be having a great time. The committee is overjoyed with how the day and evening went – the turnout was excellent and the bands and entertainment were fantastic.”

The vibe from the crowds at both the Party in the Park and the Carnival was that this year’s event had outdone previous efforts. Joe Hargreaves said, “I come pretty much every year and this is the best by far. Everyone is enjoying themselves and there is a positive atmosphere about the town. The carnival was great too, more floats than I previously remember and I don’t think I have ever seen so many people. The whole of Melksham turned up it seemed.”

Sam Inkpen agreed, she said, “It has been a good day. All the acts seemed to go down well with everyone and lots of people watched what was going on. Peppa Pig seemed popular and was one of the highlights.”

Organisers of the Party in the Park are keen to hear what readers thought of this year’s event, and any ideas that you might have for future improvements.  You can go online or use your mobile or tablet to share your views. please go to their project on the myEnvolve independent engagement app: www.myenvolve.com/project/partyinthepark14 and urge everyone to tell friends, family and workmates how they can get involved.