Here’s a selection of comments noted in the Wiltshire Gazette & Herald:

Editorial – 25 Sept 2008

Is carnival future being put at risk?

 The new measures to clamp down on drunken revellers at Pewsey carnival resulted in one of the smallest entries in recent years.

While the carnival was certainly safer than ever before, the risk is that it will follow processions in other towns like Marlborough and Chippenham and dwindle away.

The alcohol ban that put off revellers would make more sense if the carnival wine and wheelbeero races, which involve copious drinking on the streets of the village, were also affected.

Gazette & Herald Website

(in response to: ‘Carnival Cut’ by N.Kerton)

1
RIP Pewsey Carnival
A “Traffic plan”????
for a closed route?
No wonder everybody hates Wilts police.

2
I think a big congrats should go to all organisers this year, even though the number of floats were smaller this year, i enjoyed the carnival more than i have done in years!!
WELL DONE TO ALL.

3
Amazing! The carnival has been advertised for months as being alcohol free, yet people still think that the rules don’t apply to them. Well done to whoever found their stash of booze.

4
Easy! get drunk before you go then carry on in the pub later! rock on! Brill nite! [... by uptothehill]

 5
 the comment by uptothehill is just the type of person we do not need at carnival. pewsey carnival should be a family event and the only spirit needed should be the true spirit of carnival not the alcoholic type. lots of people spend months organising this wonderful event if you cant enjoy the atmosphere without the need for excess alcohol then as a pewsey villager i would say please stay away and let the families enjoy ourselves.

6
obviously the wilts police were not doing there job properly as per usual as a certain group got away with a car full of booze and consumed it during the posession? do we all have to don hotpants and clevage to get around wilts pilice.

 7
 Not all of the people involved in this float were drinking as a member of this float I personal wasn’t drinking or have hot pants or my cleavage out. I also agree with a later comment about ruling out alcohol at the carnival to save it, so please don’t tar everyone with the same brush just because we are young doesn’t mean we all have to drink to have a good time. I personally had a great time!!! The less young people that are involved the more likely it is for the carnival not to continue.

 8
 … i agree i was part of this float but was not drinking!! and the police didnt even come and check our vechile, so it had nothing to do with what we were wearing!!!

9
as we see on carnival photos some people still drinking in carnival pressesion how much more do we have to do to stop this not to end carnival after 110 years roll on pewsey carnival 2009 roll out our barrow

10
Someone i know went over to pewsey carnival and was caught drinking and the copper gave the alcohol to someone in the crowd!! He grabbed it back and asked the copper to pour it away and ended up being arrested!!

11
It is a shame that pc has once again got in the way of how things should be.
well done to those who did turn up.
pewsey is a fantastic carnival and so much hard work goes in to it it would be a shame for it to stop.

12
Best one for years! Our family nearly didn’t go ‘cos of trouble with drunks last year but well done Pewsey for ousting the boozers and showing how to have a real good time anyway!
Puzzled by the negative tone of this report, why so much space given to one float who obviously didnt read the rules?

13

As a Special Constable who has policed pewsey carnival for the past 4 years I can honestly say that this year was the best behaved one I have has the pleasure of working.
Most people complied with the no alcohol rules and had a good time.
After all the Carnival procession is a family event.
I do hope that people will stop slating the police for the hard work that goes into policing this sort of event.
If you want to drink do it after the procession. Thats what the pubs are for.
All the people I spoke to whilst patrolling said it was a much more pleasant experiance to previous years.
It’s always a handful that break the rules and affect it for everyone else.
I must say that the carnival stewards did an amazing job as we were very much on a back foot this year because of the well organised presence by the carnival committee.
Looking forward to next year.

Gazette & Herald Letters

Carnival Upset

Thank you for the picture coverage of Pewsey carnival. It was a joy to see. However, I was upset, as were many Pewsey people, to read your write-up. Once again the big headline was negative. Pewsey carnival did not deserve your “Anger at alcohol blitz” headline.

Can you say that you only spoke to the few who were against the rule? You made no positive quotes at all. Most of the people in the village and surrounding areas were very positive about the new no drinking policy. It resulted in a safer carnival for participants and spectators. The carnival committee, police and other organisations did a wonderful job enduring months of hard work to ensure our carnival went ahead. It was the best run carnival we have ever seen. It gave everyone peace of mind to know that the police, carnival committee and all other organisations were working together to keep everyone safe.

In the past you have always reported on the drunken behaviour at our carnival. It would have been gracious of you to have noticed how well the health and safety rules that were implemented worked.

The carnival procession was smaller this year and this was partly due to the new registration and insurance, but we know our village, and the people of Pewsey will keep the spirit of carnival going and next year we will be back.

The hard work, co-operation and quality of the entrants this year were a wonderful tribute to our village. I, along with the majority of Pewsey people, would like to thank everyone for a magnificent evening.

No booze a plus

On behalf of Oi Sambistas samba band (aka Devizes Samba) may we congratulate the organisers of Pewsey Carnival this year. I know that a lot of participants were not happy about the crackdown on alcohol, but for us as a band it made a big difference, as we have experienced problems when performing at past carnivals.
This was our fifth performance at Pewsey Carnival, and I have to say our best one yet.
We had a great time and the crowds were fantastic. We only provided two marshalls this year, as we were assured by the organisers it would be a safer carnival, which it certainly was.Safety is particularly important to us as several of our members are under 16.
Personally I do not feel that the lack of alcohol detracted from the atmosphere, quite the opposite. I am sure that people who have been reluctant to enter in the past because of the excessive amount of alcohol will be in the parade next year. I know we will!

Is Booze Ban Fair?

I am writing a belated response to the article in the Gazette on the August 15, ‘No booze or late carnival entries’ with regards to Pewsey carnival.
There appears to be a multitude of changes to be enforced at this year’s event, many of which I do not agree with.
For example the segregation of the walkers and vehicle floats, and in particular the zero tolerance to alcohol either in the assembly field or the procession. What will this achieve? And is it really fair to put a blanket ban on alcohol consumption because of a minority of people who take liberties?
My friends and I have been entering the carnival for nearly 20 years. Unfortunately many now live miles away and we only ever all meet up at carnival. Is it wrong to want to share a drink with them?
Whilst I totally disagree with a lot of the changes I would like to offer my support and sincere thanks to all those involved in the organisation of the carnival.
Without them it simply would not have been able to take place this year. I ask anyone who has similar thoughts to mine about the changes to bear that in mind. Don’t blame or have a pop at any of the carnival volunteers/marshals or organisers, their hands are tied by mindless legislation and draconian health and safety laws, and besides, carnival is there to be enjoyed by everyone including those who are running it.

Gazette & Herald Blog – “Some Bloke’s View”

Transition time for Pewsey carnival?

As many predicted, entries were down for this year’s Pewsey Carnival. On the face of it, that’s a bad thing. But is it really? I know quite a few spectators and who don’t go any more because they feel that the event has been spoilt by the drunks. There are potential entrants who won’t take part for the same reason – a bandsman told me that he was fed up with having coins thrown at or into his expensive instrument.
Pewsey Carnival was always a bit of a boozy event but it does seem to have got out of hand lately. The organisers have made a stand. In years to come, this could be the making of the Carnival as more families come back and more people want to take part – albeit with a little less of the old sauce inside them. At least until the parade is over, that is.