St Denys Carnival returns for 2026 as the St Denys Carnival & Arts Festival.
As well as the return of the highly successful Carnival, St Denys Crew are delighted to announce the addition of the Arts Festival to the Carnival family, running from 22nd -30th May 2026.
The Festival of arts and performance will include art exhibitions featuring local artists, workshops, creative spaces, dance, music and more, bringing a whole 9 days of celebration, colour and culture to Southampton.
The Carnival itself will take place on Saturday 23rd May 2026, taking in the streets of St Denys, uniting our community spaces and culminating in after parties at our beloved pubs.
After the joy of last year’s Carnival, we are thrilled to announce that the theme of the 2026 St Denys Carnival is Pirates of the River Itchen. The theme pays homage to the river which gives St Denys peace, rest, activity and fun. Check out the 2026 information page for more!
It’s that time of year when the nights seem to start earlier and the residents of St Denys start to consider whether it really is too early to switch the heating on, after all. Time to sit back with a cup of hot tea or – dare we say it – a pumpkin spiced latte and find out what is going on in Carnival-land.
Horrible Halloween Priory Road South, and the surrounding streets are an excellent location for trick or treating as many of the local households go the extra mile in their Halloween decorations.
As Halloween falls on a Friday this year, we have decided to join in the fun with a pop-up event outside the Community Centre, near the junction of Priory Road and Horseshoe Bridge. Come and pop by between 5pm and 7pm on the 31st October for games & storytelling, or donate towards next year’s Carnival in return for hot drinks and toffee apples.
St Denys Winter Fayre– 8th November
Our co-founder, James, tends to leave his Christmas shopping until Christmas Eve. Don’t be like James! Last year’s Winter Fayre at the St Denys Community Centre was a massive success and this year they have kindly allowed us to take over the running of it, with all funds raised from stall fees and tea, coffee & cake sales going towards next year’s Carnival.
We have some excellent stallholders lined up, selling gifts and crafty bits as well as some highly delicious food. We will also have a very special guest from the North Pole, taking time out of his very busy toy production schedule to meet the children of St Denys.
Find us at St Denys Community Centre, Priory Road from 11:00-15:00. Entry is free and parking will be available on a first-come-first-served basis.
2026 Carnival
Planning is under way for the next Carnival, in May 2026. We will officially announce the date soon, as well as details of how to apply for indoor and outdoor stalls.
If you haven’t already done so, please sign up for our mailing list in order to be the first to know when we announce the details.
If you are a musician or performing artist and would like to play at the Carnival, or if you are interested in volunteering either on the day, or as a member of one or more of the Carnival Working Groups then please drop us an email at stdenys.crew@outlook.com.
We would like to thank the following people and organisations without whom we would not have been able to make the 2025 Carnival possible:
Production Management Team: Nat-Tania L. Forbes-Buck James Foster Lori Foster Gill Lewis-Lee Ana Mota Ayro Mustafa-Holzapfel Helen Trimarco Ransome Christopher Townsend
Music Coordinators (Community Centre, Woodies at the Junction, South Western Arms & The Dolphin): Beck Alsford Pete Harvey Lucy Rees-Stoner Christopher Townsend
Advisors, Volunteers and Other Supporting Activities: Cllr Katherine J Barbour Kerry Barton Sonia Cottrell Natalie Downing Tara Foster Mike Hosking Matt Hussey Steve Kemish Cambria McGovern Ben Ranson Bishop Samuel Thomas Helen ‘Helz’ Saunt Cllr John Savage Eleanor Van der Hoest Diane Vidal Deb Wilkes Kelly Willcocks Chris Zardis
Prize Donors: Beaulieu Motor Museum Go South Coast Monkey Bizness Trago Lounge
Graphic Design: Lori Foster – St Denys Carnival Logo Pete Harvey – Little Carnival People Danny James – St Denys Characters Julia Kaczmarek – Carnival Mask
Image Credit: Danny James
Miscellaneous Event Services & Assistance: Acute Medical Services Balfour Beatty BBC Radio Solent BBC South Today BenAna Studio Bitterne Park Info Amanda Bluemel Maggie Campbell The Dolphin Friends of St Denys Gig Night In Common The Itchen Sink Emmily Jordan Jo Le Provost The Right Worshipful Lord Mayor of Southampton Music in the City New Testament Church of God Pure Rehearsal Studio R Community Rev. Sera Rumble SafeTM Traffic Management Services Sofa City Sound System Southampton City Council Events Department Southampton Daily Echo The South Western Arms South Western Railway St Denys Church St Denys Primary School St Denys Rocks! St Denys Social Club Mike Strickland Woodies at the Junction Inn James Woodhall, of Totton College Music Production BTeC
Parade Participants, including: 3rd Itchen North Squirrels & Beavers Sue Badcrumble Jenny Barnes Bat2K Bioswarm Karla Buck Dom Drum Beats Baby & Toddler Group Front Gardens Plus Imagination Time Studio Tamsin Hill Greenpeace Southampton Guardians of the River Itchen Harry Mason Louise Owen Plant Based Treaty Puppet Backup Southampton National Park City St Denys Boat Club
All the Incredible Performers: 9 Lives Angling for Farthings BenAna Music Studio Showcase Carlton Clements Jenny Casey Roger Chantler Crushcrushcrush The Devil’s Damned String Band Down by the Bayou Anthony England Exhilaro Guillotine Union Boys The Hedgehogs Intoxication Jamie Kiss Kalopsia The Magistrate DJ Nite-Rider Pandora Midnight Phil Phamous Puddleglum The Red Stags Morris Dancers Red Star Choir Ruby, Abby & Harry The Skylarks Southampton Ukulele Jam Stephanio Sam Taylor
St Denys Cake-Off Contestants & Donors, including: Martha Allison Cllr Katherine J Barbour (donor & judge) Vikki Brotherton Linda Bunn Tabitha Gibson & Lulu Davies-Orange Caroline ‘Nanny Carrie’ Hordle Jasmine Le Provost Alice Mason Ana Mota & Family Janet Parker Diane Vidal Maggie Young
Traders & Stallholders: Blingsss Board in the City CIC Burnetts Amusements Cobbett Road Library Cupcake Corner Decorative Delights Dotty’s Sweet Treats Fab Fairs Fidgette Friends of Bitterne Station Glory Handmade H&D Treasures Help Freddie Barnes Survive Cancer Homy Handmade Jane’s Tasty Samoosas Karen Gallyer K&J Caribbean Catering Brigette Kemish Kingston Original Kitchen Lavish Looks Leez Beez Amanda Lightning Love Thy Links Made by Julia Makes MOR Mummy A’s Candles & Wax Melts Pizza Tomodoro Playful Faces and Balloons S.O.S. Presents St Denys Activity Group Vicky Phillips
Contributors to ‘Celebrating St Denys’ Exhibition, including: Jackie Bassi Tracy Capell Sue Jackson Beryl Macklin (former Carnival Queen) Andria C Page Rebecca Palmer Christopher Townsend Tracie Tonner (former Carnival Princess) Helen Trimarco Ransome
Last But Not Least: The Community of St Denys
All the numerous local businesses, organisations and residents that let us put a poster up or leave flyers in their shops
…and of course our long-suffering friends and families!
There is still time to register to participate in the parade or to enter home-baked cakes into the St Denys Cake-Off but please note that the form responses will not be monitored after 6pm on Sunday 25th May; therefore you may not receive a response after this time. We will put up instructions on the forms for where to go and who to report to on the morning of the Carnival.
For late entrants after 6pm on Sunday, please do register your details using the form anyway as it will help avoid any delays upon arrival. The organisers reserve the right to decline your participation if we are already at capacity or your parade entry does not meet the necessary criteria.
Sadly we have had to cancel the planned Tug of War competition on 26th May due to unexpected circumstances. Sorry to ‘string’ you along.
Hopefully if we all pull together, the contest will make a reappearance at a future event here in St Denys so you will be able to rope in a few of your mates to help.
Reminder – this coming Saturday 10th May is the last chance to submit your photos, videos, memorabilia or written memories of carnivals and other historic events & celebrations in St Denys for our forthcoming exhibition at St Denys Church!
Email files to us at stdenys.crew@outlook.com, or if you have hard copies that need scanning then please drop them in to St Denys Church for the attention of Ana.
We are able to receive online donations, using the St Denys Crew Pool on Collctiv. To donate, simply click here or scan the QR code at our venues on the day. There will also be collection tins at the Community Centre for those who prefer to donate cash on the day.
All donations will help contribute towards the cost of putting on the carnival, which include:
We have had a great response from local crafters and food sellers so we have sold out of the 6′ tables. We still have some indoor 4′ tables from £20 and outdoor gazebo pitches left from £50 so if you haven’t already applied, please register by the end of April so that we have time to process your application.
We will require all traders to have public liability insurance and supply a risk assessment covering their stall and associated activities. If you need help filling out the risk assessment, or any questions regarding the application process then please get in touch with us at stdenys.crew@outlook.com.
Good news for local traders and crafters, the stalls for St Denys Carnival can now be booked for the low starting price of just £20.
If you’re a caterer, crafter, gift maker, wellbeing expert, local group, bric-a-brac specialist, jeweller, vintage clothing trader, toy seller or book store – grab a stall whilst they’re still available and be part of something amazing!
ST DENYS CARNIVAL & ARTS FESTIVAL 