Carnaval del Pueblo Comeback 2022! 🎉

The environment

The majority of the people came on foot, by bicycle or public transport. Many traders and their supporters were from the Elephant and Castle area so the bus to the park entrance was very popular.

The local economy

There was direct spend of 8000 attendees at the event (and indirect spend at surrounding businesses). If we estimate an average spend of £20 pp, the impact to the local economy is around £160,000. We are collecting and processing the data from digital feedback forms shared with traders, which will allow us to gain more insight into the economic and wider impact Carnaval created in respect to these micro-business owners. We had 15 food stalls, and 3 craft stalls, 2 alcohol stalls and 1 coffee jeep. Trader numbers were higher as most food providers worked in teams of 4-5 people. The majority local Latinx and black-led food businesses (food sold included: Jamaican, different regions of Colombia, Ecuadorian, Peruvian, Bolivian and Mexican) were busy all day and most sold out, and craft stalls were also well attended. Stall holders sources produce from local suppliers. Some of these are emerging start ups, and Carnaval provided a springboard.

Volunteering, jobs & education

We had 3 volunteers, alongside the director and 3 board-members who supported the planning stage as well as being on the ground on the day. We had an additional 2 volunteers on the day supporting with cleaning and maintaining toilets. Artist Abraham Osorio volunteered his time and skills, gaining experience with young community members. He is now in the European graffiti circuit. It was a great learning curve, and opportunities were created following the experience for volunteers, such as taking part in a Erasmus-funded training course for those working/volunteering in the community sector. The event also strengthened partnership and cohesion among charities from the Southwark Latin American Network together as Jhon Jairo Marulanda-Garzon (LADPP) and Nancy Liscano (Voades) were stallholders at Carnaval and volunteered with the Untold Stories Viva Carnaval. A number of part-time jobs were created for: security, safety, contractors, technicians, artists.

Arts, culture & heritage

Very wide range of attendees of all ages, with families, older people and young children in higher numbers earlier in the day, and more young people and adults in the later part of the festival. There were many Colombian and Ecuadorian attendees (reflecting the make-up of the local borough), but the crowd was much more diverse — encompassing attendees from across the Latin American continent, of Caribbean heritage and White British. This wide fusion of participants, attendees, artists and business owners created a joyful environment to celebrate and share the breadth of Latin American culture, through food, dance, music and recreation.

Activity, health and leisure

Activity, health and leisure was promoted in multiple ways: families and friends spending time together, dancing, unwinding, enjoying music, eating freshly cooked food from home countries at affordable prices, meeting old and new friends, and many activities for children. Such an event contributed to combat the mental and physical impact of the pandemic and systemic barriers encountered by migrant communities.