For as long as anyone can remember, carnival queens have taken pride of place in the many parades that take place across the Isle of Wight each Summer. But that is all about to change as Ryde Carnival committee has announced they are scrapping their Queens float for 2020 in favour of a gender-neutral ‘Royalty float’.
It has been confirmed that Ryde Carnival will end a decades-old tradition by no longer having a Queen’s float, instead presenting a Royalty float featuring both boys and girls.
The committee say that although they regularly have boys on the town’s float, this is the first year that they will be crowning Kings and Queens, Junior Princes and Princesses. The float will no longer be called a Queens float.
A Royalty selection night is taking place on Saturday 22nd February with young people over the age of 8-years-old and living in the PO33 area invite to attend.
Ryde Carnival is set to have a fun and energetic Royalty float with all participants learning dance routines. Ryde’s float will take part in all of the Island’s carnivals throughout the summer season and have been invited to attend Littlehampton and Bognor Regis carnivals too.
As well as being on the float itself, there is also the opportunity to be part of the entourage who dance behind the float. So get your dancing shoes on and join in, have fun and make friends.
The selection night takes place at Ryde Academy Sixth Form on Playstreet Lane, Ryde at 17:30 on Saturday 22nd February. Judging begins at 18:00.
What’s a royalty float?
The QE2?
Wot Prince Charles gave to Meg & Harry
A carnival queen float renamed ?
What?!?!? :-/
Hilarious, just too funny
What a load of crap!
Couldn’t agree more it’s about time we stopped pandering to these people
Why change something that isn’t broken
They change things for the selected few so as not to harm there feelings. I say tuff
Oh for Gods sake.
I note they stopped the fashionista trend at this point though – bucking the environmental fashionistas and going for diesel or petrol to cart them all around the town in the lowest heard possible.
As for the name change – well surely this will have the Ryde Queens up in arms anyway won’t it??
Im sorry but this is so wrong! the Carnival queens float should be kept as you will never change history and ok then build a royalty float! This is political correctness gone made
Wrong on all fronts im afraid and lets face it what are the judging for at the awards ceremony! the ones that look the best as king and queen!!!
Come on please stop this nonsense
What a contradiction. Kings and queens! Not gender nuetral at all. Why not keep tradition that we’re rapidly losing. Have the carnival queen, carnival king and let the pride parade that obviously wants to stay separate and celebrate diversity take on the minefield that is gender neutrality?
oh well, something else that was the preserve of females, gone forever. Clearly the inclusive pc brigade have infected the carnival committee.
what next, a check of all costumes to make sure that each colour of the rainbow is represented somewhere, so that no colour is left out and doesn’t feel excluded.
Scrap the processions which cause travel chaos. I dont see why they have three in a week. Numbers and interest are dwindling
The world is going completely dotty!
Sorry this is to silly for words, We are becoming a laughing stock. I can only assume some of Ryde Carnival Committee are Gender Natural that’s down to them. I do however think you are failing in your duty to the majority of the population with this decision .
A late though maybe, Carnival Queen is the correct name anyway ??
What about all the young ladies who might want to enjoy this traditional event? Does anyone actually ask the people affected by the gender neutral agenda. Oh no!!! Have I offended the pc brigade? I hope so.
It’s about time wd stopped pandering to these weird cults
Is it a crime to be a woman these days?
It would seem so, according to Ryde Council… Bloody snowflakes!
NO It is a fortunate thing and a GREAT PLEASURE TO MEN EVERYWHERE!
More bad commenting on the IOW!
Seriously though, what article are you all reading? It doesn’t say they are getting rid of the Queens, they will still be on the float along with the Kings. How can broadening the appeal of the carnival be a bad thing? The reintroduction of the carnival king will encourage more people to take part, thus helping to protect the tradition at a time when funding and people willing to volunteer to help is in massive decline! Just maybe the joint float has more to do with a lack of funding to have a separate kings float whilst realising the need for the carnival to engage with more people!
But don’t let that get in the way of a good rant about rainbow snowflake political correctness gone mad!
the carnival committee are talking garbage – if it was a gender neutral float, then there wouldn’t be kings – male and queens – female. It would be somewhere in between – it is either neutral or it contains both genders.
This is just pc garbage
You seem to be most upset by the term gender neutral, but the carnival committee dont call it gender neutral, Island echo’s headline calls it gender neutral!
Ryde carnival call it a Royalty float with both boys and girls welcome, highlighting that they are an inclusive carnival!
But either way, what would be the problem if they did call it gender neutral other than semantics!
Thinly veiled P.C. GARBAGE!