The Open Road Carnival
The carnival that's making a difference...
Part of Can You Hear Us 2026
Fokltastic Isle - on tour
New Carnival are proud to be partners in this extraordinary Place Partnership project curated by Creative Island as part of the the CAN YOU HEAR US? six week celebration of Island Creativity and Culture. Folktastic Isle marks the culmination of two years of Folktastic‑themed creative work, including the 2025 and 2026 IW Mardi Gras, 2025’s Merry and Bright, and our month‑long showcase exhibition at Quay Arts last March.
This new programme brings all of that energy together in a vibrant celebration of the Isle of Wight’s creativity, culture and rich folk heritage. Across six weeks, we will present Folktastic Isle: The Show, The Touring Exhibition, and a series of workshops and smaller participatory events. Our aim is to help even more people discover, enjoy and engage with the Island’s remarkable folklore and lesser‑known histories.
Funded by Can You Hear Us – Place Partnership Creative Island.
The Show
This dynamic new performance features talented students from the IW College Performing Arts Department, presenting a freshly devised piece by emerging playwright and director Charles Bonner.
Audiences will see a group of young performers retell a selection of Isle of Wight folk stories, myths and legends, brought to life with stunning costumes and puppets from New Carnival’s collection.
The show also includes folk‑inspired dances led by Iona Wallace of the New Carnival Dance Troupe, and traditional Maypole dancing taught by Eloise Preston. The Maypole has been kindly lent to New Carnival by Ryde School Pre‑Prep.
The show will have costumes created by young New Carnival artists Kira Lacey and Joel Lines.
Performance dates:
- Newport – Victoria Recreation Ground, Ventnor Exchange Arena, September 13th, 14.30pm – 15.30pm
- Freshwater – Freshwater Memorial Hall, September 26th, 18.30pm to 20.00pm
- Sandown – Browns Golf Course, Ventnor Exchange Arena, October 18th, 14.30pm – 15.30pm
(Each location will host one performance.)
Funded by Past Futures
The Touring Exhibition
This part of the project is made possible thanks to funding from: Creative Island, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Community Foundation, and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Following the success of our Folktastic Isle exhibition at Quay Arts, we are thrilled to take a mini version of this captivating collection on tour. The exhibition showcases carnival costumes inspired by Isle of Wight folklore, created by the New Carnival team alongside local schools and community groups involved in the last two IW Mardi Gras.
Visitors will also discover:
- Artworks inspired by local myths and legends, created by IW College art students
- Artefacts, replicas and interpretive displays exploring the Island’s folk heritage
- A newly commissioned replica of the Roman Hare Brooch by jeweller Sophie Honeybourne
- An authentic replica of the mysterious Stone Age Tribrach, crafted by a master flint‑knapper Will Lord in Sussex
- A beautifully illustrated map of Isle of Wight folklore by Katy Rose Designs
Together, these elements offer a vivid and accessible glimpse into the Island’s deep cultural roots.
- Newport – Lord Louis Library – September 8th – 15th, open 09.00am – 17.30pm (closed Wednesday 9th)
- Freshwater – Dimbola Museums & Galleries – September 21st – October 4th, open 10.00am – 16.00pm
- Sandown – Graft Studios – October 10th – 18th, open 10.00am – 16.00pm
Funded by Past Futures
Workshops
Story tellers Holly Medland and Corey Gibbs invite children and families to hear about unique island stories and legends, in an interactive workshop. Find out about a Roman River sprite, recorded in a book by Percy Stone in 1912. Who is Brading Roman villa’s ‘Gallus’ character? What is the significance of a running hare? Create a mosaic. Suited to children aged 5-12 years, no unaccompanied children.
We will be delivering workshops for schools in Freshwater and Sandown, and offering a family workshop in Newport.
Funded by Past Futures
Magic Show
As part of the Past Futures strand of the project, we are excited to be delivering a series of engaging workshops for both the public and local schools.
New Carnival and the Shipwreck Museum present a magic show based on the ghost ship HMS Eurydice; an eyewitness account. Find out about the history of the ship, be entertained by maritime expert and magician Ian Vallance, hear from eyewitness Gary Ranson, draw your own conclusions- do you believe in ghosts? All welcome, suitable for all ages.
Its half factual/ magic, half eyewitness account…
- Free tickets but booking is recommended due to limited capacity (Booking link below.)
- Newport – Lord Louis Library, September 12th 13.00pm – 14.00pm
- Freshwater – Dimbola Museum and Galleries, October 2nd 19.00pm-20.00pm
- Sandown – Graft Studios, October 10th, 19.00pm to 20.00pm.
Funded by the National Lottery Community Fund
Carnival Island Connections
Supported by the National Lottery Community Fund, our 2025 project created vital opportunities for both the community and the arts sector. We delivered free family workshops across the Island, providing paid work for emerging young artists and performers to lead sessions and showcase our 10 spectacular giant costumes. From East Cowes to Ventnor, and Newport to St Helens, and everywhere in between, these artists and families paraded together through summer circuits, the IW Steampunk Festival, and our atmospheric winter events.
Ports Fest Mardi Gras 'Ignite'
New Carnival were delighted to support Ports Fest in the development of a Mardi Gras style parade for this year's Ports Fest event. Many local schools and community groups benefited from staff training in costume making, funded costume making sessions, and dance sessions before taking part in the parade itself on Thursday 29th June 2023. New Carnival artists were commissioned to create three stunning phoenixes. The parade was a brilliant success and New Carnival are looking forward to building on it for 2024's event.
Photo credit - Ports Fest
Winchester Hat Fair
Hat Fair 2023 achieved resounding success despite our funding challenges. The festival once again graced Winchester during the initial weekend of July, drawing in a sizable crowd of approximately 45,000 (attendances) over the two-day span. The city's streets and green spaces buzzed with activity as attendees enjoyed a packed programme of family-friendly circus, dance, music, comedy, theatre and more.
New Carnival were delighted to work with Playmakers to deliver costume design workshops and prototyping for local schools, as well as a community workshop making the fantastic Junk Giant puppet that was a big hit with the crowds in the parade. The grand Hat Fair Carnival, led by The New Carnival Company's enormous Lady Justice puppet and Playmakers' Junk Giant was highlight of the event for many. Accompanied by local schoolchildren in creative costumes, the parade addressed significant topics including environmental concerns under the theme of 'Shout about it!'. The schools were joined by community groups including Blue Apple and St. John's Almshouses.
Waving the Flag
New Carnival was delighted to work with other local arts and carnival organisations on a project called Waving the Flag. We collaborated with; Ryde Carnival Association, Ryde Arts, and Shademakers UK. The best bit about the project? There were lots of new opportunities for local people to get involved with our carnival. These included community workshops and live events including our main and illuminated processions.
Waving the Flag celebrated, supported and developed Ryde Carnival to make it sustainable into the future.
WHY WAVING THE FLAG?
Waving the Flag has been awarded funding from the Ryde Heritage Action Zone (HAZ), one of more than 60 high streets to receive a share of £6 million for their cultural programme. Grants of up to £120,000 have been awarded to local arts organisations for cultural activity on each high street. This is part of the four-year-long High Streets Heritage Action Zones’ Cultural Programme, led by Historic England, in partnership with Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The Cultural Programme aims to make our high streets more attractive, engaging and vibrant places for people to live, work and spend time.
New Carnival ran several community workshops each year of the project creating costumes and props for Ryde Carnival. In 2023 we worked with the Isle of Wight Asian Cultural Club to create headdresses, belts and butterfly props with flapping wings. We also worked with Keert.Uk to create a Victorian style greenhouse and peacock sculptures that could be mounted on their bike and ridden in the parade.
Photos by Lucy Boynton
A Railway By The Sea
What a fantastic busy summer we have had, filled with Carnival and Samba fun thanks to our ‘Railway by the Sea’ project in partnership with VIVA and funded by South Western Railway. So far we have delivered lots of craft workshops and VIVA have delivered many fantastic samba drumming workshops all along the train line, and have worked with over 1000 members of the public, of all ages. There have been fabulous flags, amazing headdresses, and beautiful collaborative pieces made in the craft workshops, and all sorts of rhythms and grooves based on the Island’s coastal railway line. There is still more to come as well! We will be visiting several local schools, care homes and community groups to run Samba Drumming and Carnival Arts workshops and the whole project will culminate in a big celebration at Merry and Bright in Ryde on the 8th and 9th December and Ventnor Day on the 16th December.