Preservation Sunday umbrella parade Hastings. Photo by Rebecca Gracey

In the thick of the Preservation Sunday Umbrella Parade

Preservation Sunday is part of the five-day Fat Tuesday celebrations.  The festival takes its name from the translation of the word Mardi Gras, a carnival celebration before the start of Lent, writes Bevali Francis.

On Sunday morning I cycled through the wind and rain to help out at the colourful event of the umbrella parade. I was lucky enough to have the elevated position of sitting on a two-tier bike made by the clever and inventive people at Radiator Arts and the Labyrinth bike project.

People of Hastings and St Leonards turned up in their carnival finery. Colourful costumes and carnival masks abounded, the belly-dancers in their skimpy outfits danced themselves warm. There were plenty of wonderful samba and drummer bands to accompany the revellers.

Umbrellas stretched back along the street as far as the eye could see. The umbrellas were decorated by adults and children alike at The Roomz the day before, where the talented artist designers at Radiator Arts helped people create their very own personalised umbrellas with drawings and buttons, braids and ribbons adorning them. Even though the wind was strong, the umbrellas were proudly held aloft and swayed to the samba beats.

The procession made its way through the Old Town’s cobbled streets, along the seafront and past the amazed and very soggy shoppers.  The carnival spectacle clearly lifted their damp spirits.

Our final destination was The Printworks at the America Ground, where there was a wonderful umbrella sculpture to great us. Inside The Printworks bands played and carnival revellers grabbed drinks ready for the rest of the brilliant free musical entertainment provided all over Hastings and St Leonards that day.

I went home thinking how wonderful people in Hastings and St Leonards are; they got up early, faced the horrendous weather, dressed up and created something very special.

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