The history of carnivals being held in Barry can be dated back to the 19th Century. The first carnival to take place in Barry was in 1889 to celebrate the opening of Barry Docks. Streets were decorated and the route to the docks was lined with decorative arches. A firework display was held at Brooks Farm which was just off Court Road and Gladstone Road. This cost £190 and was funded by Messrs Paines & Sons
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There was a similar demonstration to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Jubilee in 1898.
The Barry Carnival ran for many years, with varying successes. It was mainly dependant on the weather! In 1950, John Collins from Barry Island Pleasure Park took over, and that year was declared “one of the finest carnivals ever held in Barry”.
Barry Carnival Brochure 1990
Barry Carnivals came to end in 2002 and there have been many attempts to restart them with little success but who knows what might happen in the future!!