All you need to know for this year's carnival

Newtown residents and visitors are eagerly anticipating the upcoming Newtown Carnival, set to take place on Saturday, June 8th, 2024.

Come and join Carnival Queen Elect Isobelle Jones and her attendants, Talar, Ollie, Jasmine, Esme, Molly, Leilani, Isaac and Carter for a day of fun and activities!

This year, the carnival procession will follow a new route, due to recent changes in High Street.

The festivities will kick off at 11:15am, as decorated floats and pedestrians gather at Lower Canal Road for judging at 11:45am.

At 12:30pm, the carnival procession will set off from Lower Canal Road, leading participants on a colorful journey through town.

The route will take participants right onto Cambrian Way, then onto Commercial Street, leading to a left turn at the roundabout onto Longbridge Street. The procession will continue down Broad Street, then down Shortbridge Street before turning right onto New Road at the cenotaph. Pedestrians will briefly peel off through High Street before rejoining the parade on the back lane. The route will then proceed down New Church Street and into Back Lane Car Park.

Following the procession, the carnival will continue at Carnival Field, with entertainment by Tony Rowley at 12:30pm and music by the Newtown Silver Band at 1:30pm.

The highlight of the event, the crowning of the Carnival Queen, is scheduled for 1:45pm, with winners of the floats and pedestrian categories being announced and prizes presented at 2:00pm.

Additionally, various local groups will host events on the field throughout the afternoon, providing a diverse range of activities for attendees to enjoy.

In preparation for the carnival, raffle tickets are currently on sale every Tuesday and Saturday morning at Bear Lanes.

The carnival, which had been a longstanding tradition for 136 years until the Covid-19 pandemic struck, was postponed since its last event held in 2019, primarily due to the lack of available volunteers to organize the event.