ST DENYS CARNIVAL & ARTS FESTIVAL

Carnival 23 May, Arts Festival 22-30 May 2026

Blog

  • Introducing St Denys Carnival & Arts Festival 2026

    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

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  • Autumn & Winter Update

    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

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  • Thank You St Denys!!!

    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-BuckJames FosterLori FosterGill Lewis-LeeAna MotaAyro Mustafa-HolzapfelHelen Trimarco RansomeChristopher Townsend Music Coordinators (Community Centre, Woodies at the Junction, South Western Arms & The Dolphin):Beck AlsfordPete HarveyLucy Rees-StonerChristopher Townsend

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  • Last-Minute Parade & Cake-Off Registrations

    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

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  • Tug of War Cancelled

    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

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  • Exhibition Deadline – 10th May 2025

    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

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  • Carnival Fundraising – Help Us to Cover Costs

    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

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  • Carnival Mask-Making Workshops

    To help people get ready for the Carnival, we are pleased to launch two free mask-making workshops in May: Nature Theme Mask making WorkshopFor St Denys CarnivalMay 7th & 14thCommunity Centre6-8pm All ages welcome, children to be supervised. We’ll play with making basic head bands on to which we will staple,stick, paint, tissue shapes and

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  • Trader Stalls Selling Fast!

    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

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  • CRAFT MARKET STALLS NOW AVAILABLE

    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

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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!

Image courtesy of Scott May via Unsplash.