yes, sunny belfast, a place that has trouble(s) oft associated with the act of parading with drums, but not today. invited by the beat carnival initiative, we are given the task of bringing our brand of carnival-styled popular music to the streets, and later to a club night. there are many many other colourful acts in the procession, including grupo bongar from pernambuco, our friends from the beat, belfast and masamba from dublin. a good mixture and a happily surprised audience lining the streets to the city hall. the beat had built a lovely float for us, that did well until getting stuck (just before the parade end) in a suddenly narrowed-due-to-roadworks section of the route. a small oversight, which, given the sun and fun only added to the enjoyment of the day. in the evening, we headlined the carnival showcase (see here) danced coco and ciranda with bongar, and if we didn’t before, we now think that belfast is a cool place.
rotc @ belfast carnival showcase 2010