WishWorks are experienced in carnival costume workshops making costumes and giant structures for celebrations.

Carnival benefits communities by bringing people together. Individuals living side by side do not often have the occasion to communicate, and do not therefore reap the rewards that a closely-knit neighbourhood can bring. An event, which is put on purely for people to meet each-other, using the ideas and skills of these people is an opportunity that is rarely open to us in our busy lives today. Carnival brings people together from culturally diverse backgrounds and creates a better understanding of varying beliefs and traditions as well as showcasing people’s artwork and encouraging creativity in an inclusive and supportive environment.

Members of WishWorks have been involved with Same Sky, an organisation that specialises in carnival arts in Brighton; and we have worked on carnival projects independantly. One such project was a collaboration with Charles Darwin School in Biggin Hill, Kent to make a giant “Butterfly Snake” for the Biggin Hill carnival in 2003.

Members of WishWorks are lead artists in the Patina “moving on” carnival in Lewes, a magical annual event which marks the transition between primary and secondary school involving some 730 children and 18 local schools (inclusive of rural and special schools ). This project is a collaboration between parents, artists, children and local business.

This carnival is an inclusive event masterminded by a local parent, who set up a group called PATINA (Parents and Teachers in the Arts). The event is organised so that 11 year olds have the opportunity to get to know each other before meeting at their new secondary school, wearing costumes they make themselves with the help of professional artists. This colourful event is funded by the arts council, national lottery and local businesses.

Members of WishWorks are on the Governing Body of the Hamsey District Carnival in East Sussex near Lewes. This will be the first year of the carnival to be on 22 nd July to synchronise with the annual Village Day. We think an event in this area would benefit the community greatly by gathering people of all ages and cultural backgrounds together in an informal and fun way; using everybodys’ suggestions and inspiration to make a memorable and unifying event.

Carnival workshops may take place within schools, in other learning centres or within the community. WishWorks like to work with the group’s strengths using games and story to gather their ideas together and make inspired and vibrant costumes and giant structures. Whatever your wildest ideas are, we can make them larger than life, put music to it and celebrate!

There is funding availiable for these sorts of occasions, and hopefully more and more neighbourhoods will celebrate together and create community in the future.