Katumba’s Halloween Carnival goes into hiding…but a horde of drumming ‘zonbi’ might spook you, watch out!

Hear ye, hear ye, be surprised, be spooked! On Saturday, 28^th of October, is expected that a ‘portal’ will open up between worlds on Bold St. round about 7.30pm as it’s been said.

Passersby may watch out as perilous  creatures known as ‘zonbi’ are known to spook and taunt human souls using their thunderous beats and drumming cacophony!

Every October, Katumba holds the much awaited Katumba Halloween Carnival Parade in Liverpool City Centre, a mesmerizing combined arts, outdoor production, and always linked with Black History Month (as carnival arts are one the biggest contributions from the African Diaspora).

This year though, Katumba has been focusing on seeking funding for their Carnival, whilst developing their outreach programme with support from the Liverpool City Council and in partnership with local organisations such as International Slavery Museum/National Museums of Liverpool, Asylum Link Merseyside and the Liverpool Caribbean Center, to bring to a wider and more diverse audience the benefits of its Music and Movement programme for Physical and Mental Wellbeing.

This year’s Halloween Carnival will be all about Katumba’s outreach programme, as Katumba takes a step back from their usual multi-art [drumming, dance, fire art, puppetry, illumination, etc.] spectacle, to provide a stage for their community to showcase the Afro-Brazilian Drumming & Movement artform they’ve been engaging with, and the benefits it brought them.

Guided by the cultural roots of Co-Founder & Creative Director Juliana Landim’s Afro-Brazilian heritage, the theme for this year’s carnival is ‘Zonbi.’ Rather than exploring the conventional appropriated depiction of‘ zombies’, the theme delves into the zombies origin, in the Kongo word for ‘soul’ – Nzambi, which eventually transformed into ‘zonbi’ as enslaved Africans were taken to Haiti. Amidst this cultural fusion, the Voudou religion emerged, intertwining African traditions with the Caribbean. The ‘Zonbi’ theme symbolizes the eternal connection between the living and the departed, where Voudou priests

We invite you all to Liverpool City Centre, where our ‘flash mob’ style parade will captivate your senses, whilst celebrating both Black History Month and the spirit of Carnival Arts celebrating Hallows Eve.

Getting Involved on the Day

On the day we encourage everyone to simply turn up and enjoy it!

Telling the Stories of the Parade

Photography and capturing media for making video and for exhibiting and disseminating through various in-person and digital platforms is a large and ever-increasing part of what we do.

We have professional photographers documenting the Carnival Parade and we have a huge archive of incredible images to work with – though we are always excited to see pics from our spectators too. Make sure to tag us under @katumbadrumming so we can see your beautiful pics!

Our marketing team are driven by passion and participation.

Developing our community in person and online means we are growing all the time, as well as constantly deepening our existing community.

Press

Help us spread the word and get the low down on the best Carnival stories!

Email Katumba Press Office hello@katumba.co.uk for images, stories, further info and interviews with our founders and partners.

Read how it went and see photos here.