The 2025 Eastbourne Carnival was a spectacular celebration of colour, creativity, and community – and we were thrilled to be part of itonce again!
This year’s theme, “Celebrations of the World”, brought together cultures, traditions, and performances from across the globe, all parading along Eastbourne’s iconic seafront. From samba dancers and steel bands to vibrant floats and international costumes, the town was buzzing with energy – and it was fantastic to see so many local groups getting involved.
As a proud local business, Lightning Fibre has sponsored the Eastbourne Carnival for four years running. This year, we were especially excited to sponsor a series of Creative Workshops for parade entrants a couple of months ago.
The workshops, also co-funded by Arts Council England, focused on costume making through sewing and prop design, offering a chance for community groups, schools, and performers to get hands-on and bring their carnival ideas to life.
It’s been a real privilege to help fund this part of the event, and we hope the workshops gave local groups the tools, confidence and spark to make their parade entries bigger and bolder than ever before.
A Day to Remember
The carnival featured 60 entrants and over 1,000participants, leading a great afternoon on the Sunshine Coast. The parade was a vibrant display of community spirit and cultural celebration.
Mina O'Brien, the event organiser, shared, "The fundraising on the day will be distributed to participating charities and associated non-profit organisations. It’s estimated that at least £3,200 was collected in buckets from volunteers this year! Thank you to everyone!"
Celebrating the Winners
The carnival recognises outstanding contributions in various categories. Here are the winners:
Best Float:
First Place was Irish in Eastbourne
Second place - Cherry Dance
Third place was Children With Cancer Fund with CJ Thorne
Best Performance:
First Place was The Beacon with Media Attention- The Red Barrows
Second place was Irish in Eastbourne
Third place was Cherry Dance
We enjoyed watching all these from The View Hotel with other Eastbourne Chamber of Commerce members!
Best Costume:
First Place was Cherry Dance
Second place was Irish in Eastbourne
Third place was - The Beacon with Media Attention
Best Non-Sussex Entrant:
First place was Bhangra Smash Up
Second place was Caporales Centralistas San Miguel : London
Third place was Sunshine International Arts
Why Community Matters to Us
At Lightning Fibre, we’re not just about delivering hyper-fast, full fibre broadband – although we’re very proud of our network! We’re also committed to the towns and communities we serve. Supporting events like Eastbourne Carnival is just one of the many ways we give back to the areas where our customers – and our team – live and work.
Would you like to improve your broadband speeds and benefit from a local customer service team? You can find out more by giving our friendly local team a call on 01323 380260 (8 am - 8 pm every day) or visit our shop at the Enterprise Shopping Centre in Eastbourne, by the Railway Station (9 - 5 pm Mon - Fri). If you’d like to know about your business broadband options, please email Joe at business@lightningfibre.co.uk.
See You Next Year?
We’re already looking forward to next year’s Carnival, set to take place on Saturday, 23rd May 2026.
Huge congratulations and a massive well done to the organisers, volunteers and participants that put on an amazing show that somany people enjoyed!
