Peel will come alive to the sights and sounds of Brazilian samba this year, with the return of a popular carnival dance troupe.

The Viva Brasil dance group were the star attraction of the 2016 carnival, and will be making a colourful return this year to lead the carnival parade along the promenade on Sunday, August 5.

The samba girls will be dancing along the seafront to the music of the island’s own SambaMann drum band.

They will be joined by a new act for this year, a street performing circus troupe by the name of Splat.

They will be holding a circus skills workshop in Peel over the carnival weekend, and will be also be taking part on the Grand Parade, alongside some of their newly-trained circus acts.

Another visiting act to keep an eye out for, albeit one dressed slightly more conservatively, will be the genteel ladies from the Norwich-based Louise Hamilton Trust. They will be bringing a fantastic life sized knitted garden to the island to be shown throughout the day in a marquee on the beach. The garden was created by the knitters to help raise money for a new hospital, and the grand installation now tours the British isles on display.

The Panfire Steel Drummers will also be travelling over from Manchester.

With over £1000 in prize money on offer across several classes, the organisers are hoping for a big turn out, and for as many people to get involved as possible.

Among the children’s and adult fancy dress, floats and decorated bicycles, there is a new class to find the best fancy dress class for dogs.

Participants will gather at the House of Manannan, at 1pm, for judging before the parade, which runs along to the Creg Malin Park for prize giving, and a Mardi Gras-style post-parade party.

Carnival Committee chairman Ian Baker promised an eclectic mix of dance troupes, bands, stalls and fun on the beach, including bouncy castles, a sand castle competition and the big tent for the Hamilton Knitted Garden display.

’I would like to thank all our generous sponsors who have made all this possible,’ said Ian.

’They include the Peel Commissioners, who help us enormously, the Arts Council, Culture Vannin, Peel Charity Shop, Peel Good Causes, Lloyds Bank, the Year of Our Island team and all the local businesses who support us.’

by Mike Wade

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