By Isle of Wight Observer
The carnival season drew to a close on Saturday, with thousands of people lining the streets of Ryde to cheer on the procession of floats complete with marching bands, carnival queens and local organisations.
The town was disappointed when the main carnival was cancelled, due to the weather on Thursday evening, but the spectacular illuminated carnival more than made up for it.
The carnival was a riot of colour and light. There was music and dancing with Raw Samba, FaT Samba and Big Noise Community Samba Band. The Island’s other Carnival Queen floats from Newport, Sandown, Ventnor, St Helen’s and Shanklin all joined in the fun. Earlier in the day, there was also a children’s carnival.
There was a sour note as, towards the end of the night, Police issued a dispersal order, with a spokesman saying: “Whilst there were no serious incidents to report, officers need the ability to direct people to leave the area who have contributed, or are likely to contribute, to causing people harassment, alarm or distress or the occurrence of crime and disorder.”
Despite that, the Island’s 2023 carnival season, popular with residents and visitors alike, ended with an exhilarating bang.
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