Boulter Family Films: Carnival, Barking & Dagenham (1965)

Carnival queens and fantastic floats are captures in this terrific home movie of the Barking & Dagenham Carnival in the mid-1960s.

Taken from the Boulter Family Films collection, this wonderful short gives a great flavour of the Barking & Dagenham Carnival, c1965. The Carnival Queens from Newham and Basildon wave at the camera – the latter from the back of a nifty sports car – before some wonderful floats arrive, including some decorated as castle and a paddle steamer, featuring characters from nursery rhymes or dressed as Technicolor cowboys, or advertising Cadet Cigarettes.

The floats are simply fantastic. Among those taking part are Dunkirk Veterans, St John’s Ambulance, the local newspaper, the Kursaal Flyer from Southend, Radio Caroline, Woodford Women’s League of Health and Beauty performing calisthenics and teens on electric guitars. Credit also to the small child who comes dressed as a tank. There are also unicyclists, baton-twirling majorettes and pipers. The Dagenham Town Show began in 1952 and the carnival procession was added in 1954. Barking & Dagenham Heritage and Archives Service