Grande Mardi Gras Ball “bigger and better”
By Kent Barker
It may have been
Hastings not Hollywood, and the welcome carpet grey not red, but those arriving
at St Mary in the Castle for the 6th annual Grande Mardi Gras Ball
certainly felt like celebrities. Photographers lined up to capture the
imaginative and sometimes outlandish costumes while passers-by gawped.
The 530 tickets
had sold out by mid afternoon delighting organisers but creating problems for
anyone hoping for admission on the night.
Inside, the
scale of the effort made by the revellers became apparent. Men in tutus and
women in top hats vied with those in more traditional carnival masks sporting
long beaks. It seemed as if a Dr Who
extras convention might have become mixed up with a Game of Thrones
re-enactment.
Sometimes
ordinary punters looked in danger of outdoing those vying for coveted title of
Mardi Gras Monarch - the Green “new town” team from The Brass Monkey, the
Purple ‘old towners’ from The Crown, and the Golden group from The St Leonard.
Votes were cast
as The Congo Faith Healers took to the stage to provide a foot-stomping blend
of ‘swamp infested gypsy blues’.
It was after
midnight when the result was announced and Methuselah-like Brian McNeilly was
crowned King. His magnificent gold
costume, like a Bishop’s chasuble smock with a small lighting grid attached,
was set off by a ball and chain for a timely reminder that St Leonard is patron
saint of political prisoners.
His first edict
from the throne seemed appropriate for Valentine’s day: “Drink, Dance and Make
Love”. Gold was led by designer Maika
Crampton, but dozens of volunteers had clearly worked tirelessly for them and
the other two teams.
Ball
co-organiser Adam Daly described the evening as an outstanding success and said
it just seemed to get “bigger and better” each year. He estimated it had rained more than £3000
for The Stinger Mentoring Fund which supports local musicians.
Ends.
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