The History Of The Carnival
Granville is a seaport and the carnival’s history links to the maritime activities of the city for centuries. Fishermen used to go to sea for extended periods to catch cod as this was the key activity for the port. Traditionally they would leave around Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras and therefore the carnival was their last chance to celebrate before setting sail.
The Programme
Saturday and Sunday are the most popular days although this year the event falls within the school holidays. The children’s parade takes place on the Saturday while the main parade is on the Sunday. Around 40 floats take part and 3000 people take part in the procession. A huge amount of work goes into the parades but the spectators also join in too. Weird and wonderful fancy dress is the order of the day and the event ends on the Tuesday with a huge confetti fight. Lots of the audience dress up too with many wearing fancy dress, masks or hats. The shops are full of dressing up outfits and huge bags of confetti in the run up to the carnival. There are various concerts taking place and you can find out more about the Granville carnival programme here. On the Sunday there’s a shuttle bus system in operation as you can’t drive into the centre of Granville. The main route for the parade and the surrounding roads will be closed. The buses operate between 10am and 8pm. For a preview of what to expect, please take a look at the video below.
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