The Seagull bid to revive much loved Lowestoft Carnival

The Lowestoft Carnival parade was a major summer spectacle on the town's calendar.

The last street carnival parade in Lowestoft organised by the Friends of Lowestoft Hospital was held in 2012.

Back then, it was held in September to avoid the Olympic Games - but sadly it rained.

In 2013 - with less than four weeks to go before the planned procession in August - organisers reluctantly said the 2013 parade would not go ahead due to a lack of entrants.

Amid the backdrop of issues surrounding road closures, traffic management and red tape, the committee of the Friends of Lowestoft Hospital - who had organised the annual procession through Lowestoft for decades - called time on their support for the carnival in March 2014.

A walking ‘Parade on the Prom’ event was held in 2016 as part of the Lowestoft Summer Festival.

And in 2023 a carnival procession was held as part of a celebration of the London Road Lowestoft Heritage Action Zone.

But now, people in Lowestoft expressed excitement - with moves afoot to bring back the Lowestoft Carnival.

The Seagull Theatre in Pakefield, Lowestoft. Picture: The Seagull (Image: The Seagull) The not-for-profit arts venue, The Seagull, has stepped forward with a plan to bring the event back for Summer 2025.

A public consultation around the new Carnival is planned for Sunday, October 20 at 7pm.

The Seagull Theatre in Pakefield, Lowestoft is proposing the return of the Lowestoft Carnival. Picture: The Seagull (Image: The Seagull)

Here the Seagull will share its outline plan for how the parade would work and give people a chance to comment and get involved - leading to lots of positivity on social media.

'A traditional carnival'

Des Reynolds, assistant manager of the Seagull and event organiser for the proposed parade, said: "We have been working on a plan to bring back the carnival for several months now.

"There are a lot of unique challenges with holding a carnival in Lowestoft, and we wanted to make sure we could offer something that was feasible before we went public.

"Having now completed initial discussions with the local council and formed a plan we believe could work, we want to find out if local people will support the idea.

"Inevitably costs and logistics mean that there will be compromises and some elements of the carnival we propose for 2025, will not be the same as events of the past, but we still think we can deliver something that people will enjoy and recognise as a traditional carnival."

People wanting to support the carnival are encouraged to attend the consultation event on Sunday, October 20 at 7pm at the Seagull Theatre in Morton Road, Pakefield, or email community@theseagull.co.uk