Carnival crowds double despite funding fears

A seaside carnival has attracted twice as many visitors as last year, despite funding uncertainty that left organisers unsure whether it would go ahead.

About 20,000 people lined the streets of Whitley Bay in blazing sunshine for the annual Bank Holiday parade on what was the hottest day of the year so far.

The festival, which usually runs over two days, was reduced to a one-day event after organisers only secured funding from the Arts Council five weeks ago.

Festival co-founder Carol Alevroyianni, of Salto Arts, said the event was "the best one ever".

The parade theme was Folk, with a giant Green Man float at its centre, alongside performances and creations involving 14 schools and six community groups.

Alevroyianni said: "There were some very strange beasts and the wonderful weather really, really helped.

"So many people came. I honestly wasn't sure it was even going to happen, but it did."

She said the scale of the turnout left her feeling emotional.

"There were around 20,000 people there, compared with 10,000 last year," she said.

"The crowd filling the pavements were absolutely dense, there weren't any gaps at all, and that actually made me feel really overwhelmed."

Temperatures climbed into the upper 20s Celsius in the North East as the UK experienced its hottest day of the year so far over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Alevroyianni said crowdfunding and support from local businesses had helped save the event after organisers initally struggled to secure funding.

"At one point, I didn't think the festival was going to happen," she said.

"We've had to pull everything together really quickly, which is why we only had one day instead of two.

"I think we went for four or five different possible grants and we didn't get any of them, and usually we get at least one.

"We had an offer from the Arts Council, but we were unable to match it, so until five weeks ago we didn't know if we had anything at all from them.

"But we got it, we got the local sponsors, and we got a crowdfunder that people have been chipping into, and that's just got us across the line."

She also said arts organisations were facing increasing financial pressure and they were all "chasing" the same money.

"I remember when I worked at the North Shields Fish Quay Festival years ago, we'd raise more than £150,000 every year," she said.

"Now, even £1,000 feels like a lot of money."

The response from the public had given organisers renewed hope, she added.

"I genuinely thought it wouldn't happen, and I thought this year's festival might be the last," she said.

"But today has shown that people do want it, and hopefully we'll be back again next year.

"In fact, we started fundraising for next year today."

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