The Ilkley Carnival committee has announced its main act for the 2018 May Day event, a jaw-dropping display by Joseph Peace and his Fire Stunt Spectacular.
The daredevil is aiming to wow audiences at the TV themed event with hair-raising fire stunts, comedy and modern circus acts. Since 2003, Joseph Peace has been performing his Fire Stunt Spectacular show at events across the UK including Glastonbury Festival.
Joseph said: “I absolutely love to perform in front of an audience and I hope to show Ilkley Carnival goers something they will never forget. I can’t give too much away about my show, but rest assured there will be terrifically terrifying flaming stunts and even a unicycle!”
The TV programme themed event will bring the glamour of the small screen to the town on Monday 7 May. The Fire Stunt Spectacular performance will take place on the carnival showground following the day’s annual parade which in 2017 saw over 1,000 school children, charities and organisations take part.
Andrew Stacey, Ilkley Carnival chairman said: “Joseph Peace’s fire show will be an absolute must see and highlight for all and we hope the audience will enjoy his mind-blowing stunts and slapstick humour.”
“We’re less three weeks away now and while the rest of the line-up is a closely guarded secret, excitement is really beginning to build for the carnival. We must say a huge thank you to all our sponsors as with their support we can put on an even bigger and better day for the community this year.”
Tickets for Ilkley Carnival will be available in the Tesco on Springs Lane, The Ticket Office bar and Ilkley visitor information centre, within the next week. For those living outside of Ilkley, tickets can be bought on the day.
That’s not all!
Ilkley Carnival has partnered with local bar The Ticket Office to develop a unique, fruity cocktail to help raise even more funds for the community.
The Ilkley Carnival cocktail named ‘Bubble Bath’ is created using bubble gum flavouring, grapefruit vodka, Aperol, lemon and rhubarb and promises customers a special surprise! The tipple will be available as part of the bar’s new summer menu and 50p from every glass sold between Friday 4 – Monday 7 May will go into the fundraising pot.
The carnival donates funds to a number of local causes and organisations each year. The 2018 TV themed event has chosen the Burley Scout and Guide Group to be this year’s primary beneficiary, receiving half of all profits with the remaining half distributed between other local good causes.
The Ticket Office general manager Lawrence Doyle said: “This is the first time we’ve experienced Ilkley Carnival and we’re really excited to be involved with such a great local cause. The 4th to the 7th May will be a bumper weekend for Ilkley with the Tour de Yorkshire followed by the Carnival on Bank Holiday Monday. Our ‘Bubble Bath’ Carnival Cocktail gives visitors throughout the weekend the chance to ‘have a drink on’ Ilkley Carnival and do their bit to boost the funds raised.”
Ilkley Carnival tickets will also be available to buy at The Ticket Office in the coming weeks and will cost £13 for a family ticket, £5 for an adult and £2 for children.
Carnival committee member Suzanne Watson was one of the first to taste the carnival’s “Bubble Bath” cocktail this week. She said:
“We’re so excited to be introducing the very first carnival cocktail and it’s all thanks to the creative flair and the generosity of The Ticket Office who are giving us a superb way to raise even more funds for the local community. The “Bubble Bath” is everything you’d expect from Ilkley Carnival – spectacular, fun, with lots of fizz and personality! I’d certainly encourage everyone to try the tipple – it’s the perfect tonic for parents needing a break from making TV-themed parade costumes and of course, it’s for a very good cause!”
Ilkley Carnival takes place on 7 May and will feature a number of activities including the TV themed parade, fairground rides, a classic car show and the annual Black Hats vs White Hats cricket match.
