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Video: Canterbury
Festival 2011 starts with a carnival atmosphere.

Canterbury Festival kicked off with
a colourful and noisy parade through the city centre on
Saturday.

Hundreds of children from the
district’s primary schools and youth clubs lined the procession
from Dane John Gardens to Westgate Towers to mark the start of the
two-week festival of arts, culture and entertainment.

Lord Mayor, Cllr Ian Thomas and
Lady Mayoress Sue Thomas led the procession along the city wall,
through Whitefriars and then the High Street while bands from
Fulston Manor School in Sittingbourne and Whitstable’s Samba Pelo
Mar kept drumming the carnival beat.

Colourful creations from the city’s
primary schools ranged from St Stephen’s Junior School’s Chinese
Dragon to an array of sea creatures from pupils at Goodnestone
Primary School.

Earlier in the afternoon, street
entertainment in Dane John Gardens, Whitefriars and Longmarket
featured performances including dance, music and youth theatre.