City gets set to start the party at Cowley Road Carnival

As a man who has built a national reputation for playing the finest reggae and ska, you might expect DJ Aidan Larkin to be happy about the prospect of spinning tunes for friends and fellow music lovers.

But the dapper Irishman is more excited than usual about his set this weekend – which will see him taking his decks outside for a full-blooded set of Caribbean classics for a crowd of hundreds on the street he loves and calls home.

On Sunday, Aidan – who plays under the name Count Skylarkin – and scores of other DJs, musicians and dancers will take to the streets of East Oxford for the county’s biggest public event – the Cowley Road Carnival.

The event, which last year attracted 45,000 people has long been an annual tradition, but has been through ups and downs, which have seen it contract and, at one stage, moved entirely off the street from which it is named.

This year it is back with a vengeance – with a line-up of live music and sound systems, playing everything from soul to samba, and drum and disco to Jamaican dancehall, which would put many paid-for festivals to shame. And, crucially, it remains entirely free.

“”I’m really looking forward to it,” he says. “We’ve had a couple of scorchers in a row and I’m hoping for more of the same. I can see the carnival from my window, and there’s no better feeling than waking to the sound of bass lines coming from the road.”

Aidan joins a line-up of DJs playing in front of The Bullingdon – one of 16 music sites, which also includes stages and soundsystems in Manzil Gardens, Marston Street, and at the Hobgoblin, Cape of Good Hope, Music Box, Black Swan, Hi-Lo, The Library, O2 Academy and East Oxford Community Centre.

A highlight of this year’s carnival is likely to be a temporary beach, being dubbed Cowleyfornia – which will include sand, provided by Cowley building supply company Buildbase, a skate ramp and deckchairs.

Among those playing live is Oxford singer-songwriter Nikki Loy, who opens proceedings at the Cape of Good Hope. She said: “I have played carnival a few times, and I love it. It’s the highlight of summer in Oxford. It brings out Oxford’s eclecticism, and I love going up and down the road experiencing the different music. The vibe is awesome.”

Nikki has spent most of the past year writing new material – releasing a song a week. She says: “I have been posting a new song online every Tuesday for the past 48 weeks. I’ve got four more to do, then I’ll have done it for a whole year.

“I’ve been a creative sponge. There are songs from life, my imagination, films I’ve seen and everything else. I’ll be playing some of them in a little acoustic set. Perhaps I’ll even do one about carnival!”

Another familiar face at carnival is Tony Kelly of rock bands The Shapes and Factory Lights. On Sunday he will join bandmates outside The City Arms at 3pm. “I’m a Cowley boy and grew up a few hundred yards away from Cowley Road,” he says. “Carnival is one of the best things about the area. It’s great fun and sees people of all different cultures mixing together and getting on brilliantly. It shows what a great cosmopolitan city this is.”

He said he would be playing “good old fashioned pop-rock,” adding: “We don’t take ourselves too seriously. It’s a good sound and it’s hard not to like. It’s fun and will get people going.

“I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time.”

One man who is no stranger to carnival is Peter Williams of Cuban band Ran Kan Kan. “We are a group with carnival close to our soul,” he says. “Carnival is big in Cuba, and our joy is playing music for people to dance to.”

Peter has wide experience of carnival-going around the world, and has lived in the Brazilian city of Olinda, which has one of the planet’s best-loved events. He said Cowley Road was one of the best events of its kind. It’s one thing that makes living in Oxford worthwhile. Homegrown community events like ours are much better than an ordered carnival like Notting Hill, where you are separated from the road by metal barriers.”

He paid tribute to the schools and community groups who spend months preparing costumes for the event. His own band will be playing tropical rhythms designed to get revellers dancing hard. “Ran Kan Kan will be raising the temperature, whatever the weather,” he says cheerfully.

• Rhythm: Getting into the spirit at last year’s Cowley Road Carnival

“Cowley Road Carnival is something the whole of Oxfordshire should be proud of,” says festival spokesman Sarah Airey. “It’s the biggest community event and is free, so everyone and anyone can come along and spend an afternoon enjoying whatever they want – from great music and lively dance to amazing food. It’s a magical event.”

One aspect of this year’s carnival which has been less well-received is the introduction of an early curfew, with events wrapping up at 5pm, on what Sarah called “police recommendation”.

“It’s a disgrace,” says Aidan. “Two years ago it was on ‘til 7pm, then last year they brought it forward to 6pm. We don’t give the police much to do down there. There’s very little trouble.

“The organisers should pay a bit less attention to the police and a bit more attention to the people who feel a bit short changed because it’s finishing at five-o-clock. Will it stop at 4pm next year? I can see more trouble occurring by stopping an hour early, with people forced inside to venues which are only staying open because they are looking to sell booze – rather than letting people stay in the street where they don’t have to buy drink.”

He adds: “As the area becomes more middle class, carnival becomes even more important. Oxford should be proud of carnival, but also needs to accept what it is – and an event which shuts at 5pm is a picnic … a garden party.”

Organisers are urging revellers to each donate £1 to boost funds for next year’s event. Aidan proposed setting up an alternative collection, with carnival-goers donating money to allow it to go on into the evening. Going further, he said he would like to see the street closed off and used for more community and live music events throughout the summer.

Cowley Road Carnival takes place in East Oxford from noon-5pm on Sunday.
Entertainment is free, though revellers are asked to donate £1 to funds