Is there a boy who’d like to be our carnival queen?
IT SEEMS that the reign of the carnival queen is finally over after an “outdated” competition designed to crown the next monarch of a Kent seaside town failed to attract a single entrant.
The organisers of the Whitstable Carnival said that no girls turned up to the carnival court selection at Whitstable Castle last Sunday. The job of a carnival queen is to represent the town for a year and participate in local events and fund-raisers.
However, after the noshow the competition, which has been held every year since 1897, has announced it will break with tradition and accept applications from boys.
A spokesman who posted a statement on Facebook explained that as “no girls came forward to enter so a court could not be made”.
The competition, which in the past has been entered by up to 50 would-be carnival queens aged between 13 and 16 – and their two accompanying “princesses” – is now urging boys to apply to become carnival kings at the rescheduled event.
Carol Simmons, the secretary of Whitstable Carnival Association, said: “It’s always just been girls in the past – we’ve never had boys before. Mainly because boys might not want to sit on a float and wave at the people of Whitstable. We’re happy to accept boys as contestants too. The problem is that lots of people think it’s a beauty contest, which it definitely is not.”
Not everyone was as enthusiastic about the competition. Morag Warren wrote: “I wouldn’t want my daughter going for this … makes me a bit squeamish.
“A beauty parade for 13-16year-old girls? The carnival could and should be brilliant without this relic. Quite chuffed that Whitstable parents have rejected this.”
Margaret Maggie Honey wrote: “This idea of being princesses is outdated, rejuvenate carnival for the 21st century.”