Huddersfield Carnival Memories

Huddersfield Carnival 2005

Huddersfield Carnival 2005

Huddersfield Carnival 2005

Huddersfield Carnival 1974

My earliest memory of going to carnival in Huddersfield was 1974, once it had changed from the Mayor's parade. In the 1970s, the steel band was the main attraction more than the sound system.

But as times go by there was a lot less of the steel band and a lot more of the sound system.

In Jamaica there was a lot more sound system and reggae. Whereas in Trinidad, Tobago, Grenada and Caracou there was more calypso. At first it was kaiso then it went to calypso and now its soca. It’s the rhythm of the pan. Nowadays it’s a mixture of them all.

Today the youngsters like reggae and rythmn and blues and hip hop whereas the older generations like the calypso and soca, it’s not an island issue.

Carnival in Grenada as a Child

I remember going to carnival in Grenada aged around seven, It started from Luc(k)as Street and went round St Georges into River Road Park, which is at the other side of Grenada, past the market.

Before the procession there is a thing called ‘Juva’ morning. That’s at 1.00 o’clock …. and people would come down from the country, from St David’s with painted faces and masks.

I think my first experience of that was when my mum said ‘go outside’ at 4.00am in the morning, and all I could see were shadows. Then when the day became lighter I saw all these faces and it was really hideous. As a child of 6 or 7 you were scared.

This guy in a mask chased after me and knew I was scared so I bought a mask at the time it was 3 or 5 cents and as I was walking I’m thinking how can I get my own back, someone scared me I want to scare someone. Because that’s the way people operated when you were younger, getting your own back. So as I walked down this field, there’s this bit of land not far from a place called Cooper Hill (which are steps) off Tirrell Street. I saw this little lad in a field playing around, there were some houses not far from where I thought he lived. So I decided to scare him. I felt bad afterwards as he was only about five.

Whereas in England I don’t think the British public understand this. I don’t think they want to understand it. I’ve said to someone, do you realise that carnival starts in early morning ‘Juva’ (Antigua) in your house, at 3.00am in the morning and you hear ‘boom, boom’ this massive thunder of drums coming down and ‘Jabjab’ (Grenada) is when they put on masks then we have the procession.

But when they all assemble in the park, which is on River Road, it’s amazing. They’re judged on whose is the best costume and to me it’s more like an art display. Which is the best artist, which is the best costume and they are judged on that. If they got first prize, I don’t know what money they were offering at the time; it could be a thousand, two thousand dollars.

So, carnival has been a really nice experience of growing for me, because at a really early age I remember trying to play the steel pan. We used to burn the pan and tune it.

The tin for the pan could be anything, like molasses, butter or oil tins. Get a fire and put it on it, it’ll heat the tin and then after it’s cooled down. You start indenting squares and each of those squares you can put A, B, C, D, and play doh, ray, me, so, far, la, tee, doh. So you have the tenors and you have the bass. You have the rhythm (I can’t remember the name), that one you can hear high pitch, like E, F and G.

My kids went on to play for North Stars Steel Band.

It’s the steel band that makes carnival, that’s what it’s about. The music is like the beat of the heart. People years ago have tuned the pan exactly how they want to play and if the Queen has a steel orchestra it means she likes steel bands. It means it’s good and it’s not going to die.

And coming back to the 60s, (my mum’s era) famous calypsonians were: Kitchener, The Duke, The Explainer and Sparrow and when you listen to these guys, these are not guys who are educated, but they are educated to a point where the things they say are so amazing. I love to listen to Calypso, it’s about life.

I identify with it because I am Afro Caribbean. It’s something I grew up with. It’s been happening since as early as I can remember.

Costumes for Huddersfield Carnival 2005

Dianne Francis first ever Carnival Queen 1985, Image courtesy of Huddersfield Examiner

Huddersfield Carnival 1991, Image courtesy of Huddersfield Examiner