How you can help as much-loved carnival returns to this Lancashire village

Kind-hearted volunteers are busy planning for the revival of Longton Carnival, as well as array of other community events, such as a Winter Wonderland.

Leading the band of 20 is Emma Young. She came up with the idea after reflecting on the distances she had travelled over the Christmas period taking her three-year-old daughter to events. Emma said: “This got me thinking, why was there very little in our own village and surrounding areas, when really there is so much potential? So, I started to talk about this with some of my friends who all have children similar ages. I suggested that it would be good to try and create something for our own children and our own community in and around Longton.”

Filled with happy memories of her own childhood and taking part in an annual carnival with her primary school, Emma learnt from her husband that Longton used to have a procession through the village with floats until around 20 years ago.

She said: “Myself and two other Longton mums arranged to meet at one of our houses and had a brainstorming session about how we could bring back the procession to Longton and what we would need to consider. We received some great initial support from the Lostock Hall Village Team to help us get set up as a brand new committee. This idea grew and we had a few more people wanting to join us, so we moved our meetings into our local business spaces. As word started to spread more people from the village were keen to join in, until we developed a great committee which we named 'Longton Carnival'.

The group decided to keep the name, even though they wanted to host other events in the village besides a carnival. They are aiming for the Carnival to become an annual event, going life in May 2026 and inclusive of all the Western Parishes of South Ribble.

What to expect

Emma said: “It is set to be an afternoon of celebrating our community, as we line the streets to watch a magical parade pass through Longton village. A parade of vibrant colours, music and historical memories to fill the streets, as local businesses, schools, churches and community groups take part in our themed carnival 'Through The Years'.

Winter Wonderland

Beforehand, on November 30, 2025, the team will host Longton Winter Wonderland. Here, residents will have the opportunity to browse Christmas market stalls while sipping on a mulled wine and hot chocolate, eating festive food produced locally and watch the children's excitement build as they hunt for Santa's 12 helpers. There will be choirs performing, with locals encouraged to join together arounf the Christmas tree for a lights switch-on countdown.

How you can help

Several other smaller fundraising events will be held throughout this year, in order to make the larger events possible and the committee are looking for donations. Anyone wanting to help can email the team at [email protected] for bank details, look out for our green collection tubs around Longton businesses or visit one of the Just Giving pages.

Stallholders are needed for the Winter Wonderland event, with a closing date for applications April 25.

Community meeting

A community meeting will take place from 2-4pm on Sunday, April 27 at Longton VM Sports and Social Club in Victory Lane, Longton. Here there will be fundraising tables, where people can try to win one of many bottle prizes. People are welcome to talk to members to find out more about the plans, with young people encouraged to become youth members.

Emma added: “We are run by the community, for the community with an ethos of bringing the community together, focusing on community spirit and community engagement. We will be reaching out to all age groups, aiming to bridge gaps between the generations and bring back our community sparkle.”

Organisers are also keen to hear from anyone with photos of the original carnival event.