by Rebecca Hannant
Hornsea Carnival is in “a good place” after a successful year of fundraising, its organisers have said.
Earlier this year there were fears over the future of the event as a result of a funding shortfall, but widespread support from local people and businesses will not only cover events planned for the rest of this year – including the Battle of the Bands on August 31 – but also go some way towards next summer’s carnival.
Between Friday, July 19, and Sunday, July 21, this year, thousands of people flocked to Hall Garth Park to enjoy fairground rides and games, stalls, live music, fireworks and more. Crowds flocked to the traditional parade through the town on the Saturday, while the popular tug-of-war competition returned on the Sunday.
Although the final count is yet to be completed, carnival chairman Iain Poole said the committee had been “blown away” by the level of funding support they had received. He revealed the financial situation on social media in an effort to ensure transparency.
Ticket sales for the music night at the Floral Hall grossed £3,520, with a profit of just over £400. Bucket donations collected £2,485 – described as a “massive improvement” on last year, which was hit by poor weather – while online donations totalled more than £2,781. The carnival also gained £19,000 in sponsorship.
Iain said: “Once we have the final invoices in, we will be able to let everyone know what we have in the bank, but we are pleased to report we are in a very good place.
“We should have what we need to cover the rest of the events this year and put us in good stead for next year.”
However, Iain was keen to stress that the carnival continued to need financial support to ensure it could go ahead. Dates have already been confirmed for July 18-20.
In the lead-up to next year, the committee is staging three big events, which include the annual fireworks display in Hall Garth Park on Sunday, November 3, and the Santa Sleigh around the town in December.
Their next event, on Saturday, August 31, is the new Battle of the Bands at the Floral Hall, which will also raise funds towards the 2025 carnival.
The Battle of the Bands is open to amateur unsigned solo acts and bands of all ages who write and play their own music. The winner will be offered a songwriting and promotional package worth more than £18,000.
Hornsea Carnival has partnered with UK record label Red Sun Records and award-winning writer and producer Jim Lawton, of Electric Enemy.
The winner will have a song written and produced by a multi-award-winning writer/ producer, and the track creation process will be fully overseen by Red Sun Records. The winning act will also spend one to two days in a professional recording studio with all rental costs and engineers’ fees paid.
The final recording will be mastered at the renowned Metropolis studios, and the single artwork will be designed and created by Lisa Muscatt of Red Sun Records, which will then release the song on its label and distribute it through the AWAL/Sony platform to all the major digital platforms including Spotify, Amazon, Apple and Deezer.
The Battle of the Bands will be covered live by Seaside FM, and the organisers hope that it will become a regular event if they can secure annual sponsorship.
For more information, visit hornseacarnival.org.uk/battle-of-the-bands.
