Llanelli Christmas Carnival

It’s Showtime… Llanelli Christmas Carnival explodes like a festive cracker spilling a whole feast of entertainment on to Llanelli’s streets on Friday (November 21).

Roller skating snowmen, fire jugglers and stilt walkers will spark up Llanelli’s biggest night of the year.

There will be more than 20 carnival floats and a sky full of fireworks.

Fairground rides and bands will have everyone rocking in the massed crowds of more than 20,000 who are expected to cram the traffic-free town centre.

Here’s how the event will unfold:

• 10am: Carnival floats will be constructed at Pwll’s Festival Fields; miles of barriers will be positioned and fairground rides constructed.
• 5pm: Radio Carmarthenshire bursts into life.
• 5:30pm: Street entertainment including roller skating snowmen.
• 5:45pm: Closure of Church Street dual carriageway and side streets.
• 6.15pm: Carnival parade leaves MCP Festival Fields
• 6:30pm: Santa run leaves from Llanelli Town Hall
• 6.45pm: Christmas lights design winners on main stage
• 6.45pm: Switch on of Christmas lights and speech by Llanelli Town Mayor
• 7.00pm: Arrival of carnival parade in town hall area.
• 7.45pm-8pm: Fireworks will start when the last float comes to a stop in front of town hall (spectators are asked not to cross barriers until this time)
• 8.15pm: Fireworks display ends.
• 8.30pm: Carnival parade prize presentation on main stage
• 8.45pm: Ongoing stage entertainment (Scarlet FM)
• 9.15pm: Main stage entertainment close (Scarlet FM)
• 10pm: Funfair closes.

Llanelli Christmas Carnival – facts

1. Llanelli’s first Christmas carnival, more than 50 years ago, comprised two floats. One had Santa’s sleigh aboard and another had businesspeople and members of Llanelli Chamber of Trade and Commerce throwing sweets to children on the pavements in Stepney Street and Vaughan Street – before pedestrianisation and health and safety legislation which prevent tossing of sweets into the crowd.
2. The sensational carnival of 1988 had Wales’s first ever open air laser show. Welsh Office health and safety officials took a full week to sanction laser reflectors atop the Crown buildings, Llanelli YMCA and Ty Elwyn and permission had to be sought from the Civil Aviation Authority because of risks to passenger aircraft pilots flying over the town.
3. At the same carnival there were two live Snow Leopards from Barnum’s and Baileys caged on one float, which caused protests from animal rights campaigners across the world.
4. Llanelli Borough Council resisted fireworks use in the carnival for three years on the grounds it would disturb town people.
5. The first year fireworks were used in 1987 no pigeons were seen in the town for a week.
6. A fancy dress gorilla that appeared in one of the first carnivals was arrested six months later accused of a robbery of Penyfan Post Office.The person wearing the suit was proven innocent but witnesses insisted the suit was the same one.