Colors of Luton - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

Luton lives a rich festive life full of interesting annual festivals and holidays dedicated to historical events and various cultural spheres. The main event in Luton's holiday calendar is the International Carnival, which is the largest one-day carnival in the UK. For the first time, this holiday was held in 1976. At that time, it had a much smaller scale and was known only to locals. In its early years, the carnival was limited to colorful fairs that were held on the streets with the participation of residents of Luton and some nearby towns.

Over time, the carnival has gained international fame and incredible scale. Only a tradition to fit all its entertaining program in one day has remained unchanged. Now the holiday is attended by musicians, artists, and other cultural figures from all over the world. Since the carnival is usually organized in May, all of its entertainments take place in parks and on the streets under the open sky. Guests of the carnival can attend interesting concerts and art exhibitions, craft workshops and culinary shows.

The main event of the carnival is a traditional costumed procession. All its participants prepare original costumes on their own. Every year, the original Luton festival changes its theme, according to which the participants sew their outfits. About a thousand people take part in the parade today, while the total number of guests of the holiday is almost a hundred times bigger. The main goal of the Luton International Carnival is to bring together people from different cultures and traditions and give them the opportunity to show their talents. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

Luton has many interesting traditions and customs. The city was famous for its hat industry hundreds of years ago. Women of fashion came here from London to pamper themselves with new accessories. The tradition of women's hat production has been preserved in the city to this day. Several historic factories are still functioning, and some interesting themed shops can be found on the streets. Here, not only women but also men will be able to pick a suitable headdress.

At the beginning of July, the Youth Festival is celebrated in Luton. This holiday is one of the newest in the city calendar. Local volunteers organize the festival every year since 2015. Young people from various countries of the world take part in the celebration on the first Saturday of July. Among them are young film directors and artists, representatives of theatrical art and musicians, talented artists and designers.

The festival has a very rich entertainment program, which includes music concerts, theater performances, film screenings, art exhibitions, as well as sports competitions. The youth festival has one interesting feature - a significant part of its activities takes place in the historic St Luke’s Church Leagrave. It is an important local historical monument that has long acquired the status of a popular cultural center.

On the festival day, theatrical performances are held, musicians and representatives of various youth organizations perform within the walls of the church It must be said that such a creative initiative received extremely positive feedback from the majority of local residents. The youth festival's program is aimed at a wide range of guests and participants, many schoolchildren and younger kids always take part in it. All funds raised during the festival are used to support and develop local youth centers.

Children's holidays taking place in Luton deserve a separate mention. The development of children and their involvement in the national culture has always been given much attention, and now the city holds a variety of thematic holidays for kids. A great example is the annual Kid's Book Festival, which is joined by local educational and cultural institutions. Mandatory components of the event are book fairs and interesting literary evenings aimed at families.

Locals are known for the great love for their hometown and cultural traditions, however, modern cultural trends never pass them by too. Despite the proximity of such a famous capital as London, the tiny town with a distinctive atmosphere carefully preserves its cultural traditions and continues to amaze the world with enchanting carnivals and festivals. They take place throughout the year, so fans of event tourism would be happy to visit the city all year round.