A WELL-loved carnival is returning to the streets of a Ceredigion village next month, after a three year hiatus.

Celebrations for Borth carnival began last Saturday, and will stretch until the parade on 5 August.

Chair of the Borth Carnival Committee Carol Bainbridge said they had planned to bring the carnival back last but were unable to. So this year’s celebration is the first since 2019: “It has been exciting. The community themselves are so excited. I have been asked regularly, every time I walk out the house, whether the carnival is back on. Because last year we thought we could do the procession, but I had to cancel it about a month before.

“The whole village is part of it, the houses dress up, the shops dress up, the holiday makers dress up. It shows the spirit of Borth.

“It’s been a lot of work. But Borth needs its carnival, and the village want it.”

Pre Covid-19, the carnival raised around £10,000 each year, with the money going to local groups and organisations that “benefit Borth”, such as Borth Community Hub, Borth Football Club, Ysgol Craig yr Wylfa, the local Women’s Institute, and Senior Citizens Club.

Even through the pandemic, the committee managed to raise £5,000 for the community.

The main event of the week, the parade and carnival, will take place on Friday, 5 August, from 12.30pm to 7pm, and will include a procession down the high street and an event on the fields at the back of the village.

Registration for groups, floats, or single entries wanting to take part in the procession opens at 12pm outside the Youth Hostel, with the procession starting around 1.30pm.

But Carol said the celebrations start way earlier than that, and kicked off with the crowning of the carnival queen, 12-year-old Chloe Pemberthy, and a dog show, with categories like ‘waggiest tail’ and ‘prettiest ears’, last Saturday (23 July). The village also took part in a sand castle competition on Sunday (24 July).

The festivities are continuing right through August. Tonight (27 July), a quiz is being held at 8pm in the Victoria Inn, and on Friday at 7pm snail racing and an auction will take place in the Friendship Inn.

Next weekend (30 and 31 July), from 10am to 5pm, the popular Chalkfest Art Festival will also return, and will see the sea wall decorated with chalk drawings.

On Monday, 1 August, at 1pm, a treasure hunt will take place, starting at Borth RNLI Lifeboat station. While the carnival committee are working with Borth Community Hub to hold a Teddy Bear’s picnic and fun day on 2 August, from 10am to 2pm at Ysgol Craig yr Wylfa School.

The Railway Inn will be holding a pool competition at 7.30pm on Tuesday, 2 August, and another quiz night will be held on Wednesday at 7.30pm in the Friendship Inn.

But even after the carnival, other events are planned; such as a duck race at 2pm on Sunday, 21 August, at Glanleri Bridge, and a drag night starting at the Friendship Inn and with a date to be confirmed.