A KEY component of the district’s largest carnival will be missing tomorrow (Saturday) – its procession.

Herts Advertiser: Harpenden Harpenden Carnival 2010Harpenden Harpenden Carnival 2010 (Image: Simon Jacobs)

Harpenden Carnival is being held on Saturday, June 8, from 12.15pm to 6pm at Rothamsted Park and would normally be preceded by the procession.

But the organisers of the procession could not get enough volunteers together to run it this year and the main carnival organisers, Harpenden Round Table, took the difficult decision not to attempt to organise it themselves on top of the Rothamsted Park programme.

Graham Halyard, Harpenden Carnival chair, said that in the past the Round Table had received outside assistance in organising the procession but that had fallen away this year.

He added: “As such we in the carnival committee felt that organising a procession as well as the carnival event was too big an ask in the time available for what are, after all, a set of volunteers.”

Graham said that the carnival committee had thought ‘long and hard’ before making the decision and admitted that the number of entrants for the procession had been falling for a number of years.

But he stressed that the Round Table was enthusiastic about it and would like to see it return in the future.

Saturday’s carnival will feature a host of attractions including a dog and duck show, a falconry display, a sheep show and a dog show.

There will be activities for adults and children as well as live music on stage from 3pm to 6pm.

Law firm Pictons will have some ancient village stocks on their stand to give visitors the chance to soak their friends and relatives while raising money for charity.

Carnival programmes are £3 in advance or £5 on the door with discounts for 10-15 year olds and free admission for children accompanied by an adult.