Eastbourne gears up for 2026 Eastbourne Carnival

Taking place on Saturday, May 23, the theme will be ‘Lights, Camera, Action’.

Inspired by film, television, theatre and musicals, it invites entrants to ‘celebrate Eastbourne’s rich cultural identity as a theatre town and draw inspiration from their favourite stage and screen productions’.

The main carnival parade will start at 2pm, travelling from Fisherman’s Green to The Wish Tower, officially opened by the Mayor of Eastbourne.

The day will also feature the Carnival Street Party from 4:30pm at Victoria Place.

The public vote will give spectators the chance to vote for their favourite parade entry.

There will be two new categories: Best Community Entrant and Best School Entry.

The charity Children with Cancer Fun, who will be walking in the procession has called for volunteers to help take part and fundraise at the event.

A spokesperson for the charity said: “This year’s theme is Lights, Camera, Action and we would love to see volunteers dressed as characters from children’s films - think princesses, superheroes, Disney Villains, animals, characters from your favourite books who made it onto the silver screen.

"Don’t worry if fancy dress is not your scene, dressing in your CWCF tops/tabards will be great too! Or just whatever you feel comfortable in. And if you have any children who would like to take part, please feel free to bring them along.

“There are no limits on the number of people who can join us on the day - the more the merrier.”

Last year’s Carnival theme, ‘Celebrations of the World’, saw more than 55 parade entries, with approximately 1,600 participants taking part in the vibrant, nearly mile-long parade along Eastbourne’s seafront.

Featuring floats, live music, dance groups and international costumes, the event attracted an estimated 15,000 spectators.