MELKSHAM turned out in force to enjoy this year’s Carnival and Party in the Park as months of organising came to a head in one memorable day.
Both events have been hailed big successes by their organisers, and saw thousands of people flock to the town on Saturday 18th July.
Party in the Park kicked off the day with the Adrenaline Tour stunt show, musical acts and family fun in the afternoon before the Melksham Carnival procession set off and saw the High Street full to bursting.
The Carnival procession included entries from local organisations, churches, businesses, sports clubs, emergency services, and many more for the parade through the town. Party in the Park then continued with more music and a fireworks display in the evening.
Acts throughout the day included Only One Direction, Pink tribute Zoe Alexander and Rob B Williams, as well as a number of local acts.
Carnival chair Simon Hedley said, “I was really pleased with the Carnival and how smoothly it all went. It was much less stressful than last year and there was a great atmosphere in town on the day.
“We were pleased to have a similar turnout to last year. People have said they enjoyed the procession and that it went by quickly this year because there were no hiccups!
“We’ve had people saying they’d like to have seen more large floats so if anybody has any ideas for improvements or would like to help organise the event, they know where to find us!”
Party in the Park chair Tom Sangster said, “I was very happy with the Party in the Park; it was a nice day and we had a great turnout. We’ve had a lot of fantastic feedback from people on social media.
“The support we had from local people and volunteers, and particularly the ATC, was great. I was really happy with the entertainment as well; there were lots of oohs and ahhs for the stunt show, and the music was very good.
“We were pleased to see the local musicians do very well too. Our aim is to put on a good family day out for the community, and we try to do so as best as we possibly can.”
Organiser Bruce Burry echoed Tom’s sentiments and added, “We had good crowds – better than expected – and the acts in the arena and on stage went down very well.
“There were a huge number of stalls too and it’ll be hard to beat the day next year!”
Melksham Carnival Committee is keen to hear what people thought of the procession. You can fill out their survey at
To find out how to get involved with next year’s events go to www.melkshamcarnival.co.uk and www.melkshammusicfestival.co.uk
You can buy colour copies of our photographs from the Carnival by clicking here.
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