A colourful Waltham Forest tradition is set to become a little greener this year thanks to a new sustainability effort.
Leyton Mas (also known as ‘the People’s Carnival’) is a vibrant, family-friendly festival showcasing everyone’s favourite carnival activities – dance, music, costumes and more.
A yearly event, the carnival has become a staple of the Waltham Forest calendar, with crowds flocking to see talented masquerade performers and hear irresistible carnival street beats. But this year’s festival on Sunday 13 July will have an added bonus, thanks to support from the North London Waste Authority through the North London Community Fund. ‘Homemade Mas’ will feature gorgeous carnival costumes made from reclaimed and repurposed household items. Helping turn trash into treasure, the Homemade Mas will show that carnival celebrations can be spectacular and sustainable all at the same time.
To prepare for the Homemade Mas, festival organisers GB Carnival have been running weekly workshops to help participants create their own beautiful costumes with otherwise wasted items. Free and open to everyone, these workshops have been fun and inclusive, while also teaching valuable skills about how to avoid unnecessary waste at home. Getting inventive about how to make the best costume encourages participants to tap into the creative spirit that’s at the heart of Carnival.
Frank Sweeney, Artistic Director, said: “This year’s Leyton Más is a joyful celebration of how Waltham Forest is growing, sustainably and together. It’s a people-powered event in every sense. Thanks to the support of NLWA, our community artists, alongside hundreds of children, families and older adults, are turning everyday household materials into playful masquerade masks, drums, shakers and parade accessories. All of it leads to our car-free, people-powered parade: a lively tribute to the diverse cultures that shape our borough, and the real benefits of living more sustainably.”
This sustainability focus will carry through to the parade itself, with festival organisers planning ahead to make sure the event creates as little waste as possible. This green approach recognises the connection between carnival celebrations and the natural world, an important part of various cultures’ carnival traditions.
Anticipation is higher than ever for this year’s Leyton Mas, with the action kicking off at midday on Sunday 13 July. Until 7pm Waltham Forest will be alive with the main parade, music, a festival market and much more. To learn more, head to the GB Carnival website.
