Cardiff
Mardi Gras 2002
It’s
the last Mardi Gras / Pride festival on the UK gay calendar and what a finale
in was. A record crowd of over 30,000 turned out for it, making it bigger and
better then ever before. The location, set in the beautiful grounds of Cardiff Castle surrounded by beautiful green
trees, is fantastic. People sat around with picnics, enjoying the sun that
shone down throughout the day. Here are
two galleries of photos from the day…
Cardiff Mardi Gras has become an overnight success
story in terms of the record attendances and the status it has within the
city's events calendar. This year has seen a change in the organising team,
who once again freely give up their time and endless hours of devotion to put
this event on. However the pressure to deliver a professional, safe and
inclusive event remains with a small team of dedicated volunteers. Cardiff
Mardi Gras is a self-financing event, supported by Safer Cardiff. The task of
raising almost £60,000 is a huge challenge.
Cardiff
is a European capital and is in the process of bidding for the 2008 City of
Culture, Mardi Gras becomes an integral feature of a modern, inclusive city. In
the planning of Mardi Gras, there are all the sponsorship arrangements to make,
organising fundraising events, the annual ball, updating mailing lists,
liaising with the council and emergency services about the site detail,
establishing partnerships to assist with the production of the brochure,
marketing, press and other printed material. There are numerous artists to
book and source, stall holders to contact, charities to involve - the list is
endless. Then when its over - they start all over again!
Here are the 4 key people I’d like to thank for
their hard work in making this year’s Mardi Gras…
|
Sarah Cole
|
Andra Kurlis
|
Jane Lalljee
|
Haydn Price
|
For further photos and info on Cardiff Mardi
Gras log onto…
www.CardiffMardiGras.co.uk or www.GayWales.co.uk
