This looks fun! I’ve always been a bit wary of Carnival because I don’t love crowds and chaos and that’s what it always seemed like to me. But this one seems a little less intimidating and I love that it’s local groups.
It's very family friendly, with lots of young kids. You do have to be assertive to keep your place with the crowds, especially if you arrive early and get a spot at the front. But the parade is about an hour long so it's doable. From the photos I've seen, I think where we were at the start of the parade route is a bit less crowded. And we walked quickly to get ahead of the crowd when leaving because I imagine the closest metro stop would be hectic once it's over. We're not sure what our plans are yet for the 14th of July fireworks because of the crowds...
Those butterfly costumes are so great! I'd love to see them in all different kinds of light. What's the music like at these kinds of events? Are there marching bands like in the US?
The butterflies were fun to see! There were maybe 2 or 3 marching bands, but I would describe them as on a smaller scale than a US parade, which I'm imagining as a marching band from a big US high school. They seemed to be local groups of adults who do it together as a hobby? A lot of the costumed groups had accompanying music that was on a wheeled vehicle and broadcast over a big speaker.
Have you heard of the Honk festivals here in the US? They're all over. In RI, it's called Pronk for Providence Honk. But it's a day of instrument interactions for little kids, then a small parade down Wickendon Street, and finishes with a series of small concerts on various outdoor stages around the city. These are also small adult marching bands, lots do covers. If you're ever visiting in October, you should check it out! It looks like they even do other music related events throughout the year now.
This looks fun! I’ve always been a bit wary of Carnival because I don’t love crowds and chaos and that’s what it always seemed like to me. But this one seems a little less intimidating and I love that it’s local groups.
It's very family friendly, with lots of young kids. You do have to be assertive to keep your place with the crowds, especially if you arrive early and get a spot at the front. But the parade is about an hour long so it's doable. From the photos I've seen, I think where we were at the start of the parade route is a bit less crowded. And we walked quickly to get ahead of the crowd when leaving because I imagine the closest metro stop would be hectic once it's over. We're not sure what our plans are yet for the 14th of July fireworks because of the crowds...
Those butterfly costumes are so great! I'd love to see them in all different kinds of light. What's the music like at these kinds of events? Are there marching bands like in the US?
The butterflies were fun to see! There were maybe 2 or 3 marching bands, but I would describe them as on a smaller scale than a US parade, which I'm imagining as a marching band from a big US high school. They seemed to be local groups of adults who do it together as a hobby? A lot of the costumed groups had accompanying music that was on a wheeled vehicle and broadcast over a big speaker.
Have you heard of the Honk festivals here in the US? They're all over. In RI, it's called Pronk for Providence Honk. But it's a day of instrument interactions for little kids, then a small parade down Wickendon Street, and finishes with a series of small concerts on various outdoor stages around the city. These are also small adult marching bands, lots do covers. If you're ever visiting in October, you should check it out! It looks like they even do other music related events throughout the year now.
More on Pronk -
https://www.instagram.com/p/DWG7db-jc3W/
One of the marching bands that does covers -
https://youtu.be/m4C58lmv1J4?is=QWGtlVz0vISFU2Ac