West Cumbrian Carnivals Exhibition

Images credits: Cumbria Archives and The Whitehaven News

The West Cumbrian Carnivals exhibition is a project undertaken by Natasha Dawson from the University of Lancashire in collaboration with Everyone Here, an arts council participatory arts programme which covers the areas of Allerdale and Copeland in West Cumbria.

The exhibition will showcase local people’s memories, experiences, and stories of carnivals in West Cumbria through a range of mediums such as photographs, oral histories, creative activity, and performance.

The project has worked with local organisations such as the Whitehaven archives, the Helena Thomson Museum, and community groups such as the U3A to source and collect material for the exhibit.

In the new year, the project will be working with a range of community groups including schools, brownies and cubs, goodlives, and the warm hub to produce carnival queen dresses, a carnival float, carnival masks and other creative items that will feature in the exhibition.

The exhibition will be in the Civic Hall in Whitehaven on the 21st and 22nd February 2026.

Title: West Cumbrian Carnivals Exhibition

Partners: Everyone Here

Year: 2025-2026

Funders: Arts Council England, Westlakes Research Ltd., University of Lancashire.

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