Community Carnival

The much-loved SIRF Community Carnival is a real highlight of the festival, bringing together more than 750 participants to fill Stockton High Street with music, movement and imagination.

A vibrant procession of children, young people, adults, community groups, musicians and street performers will dance, sing and celebrate their way through the town in a flowing spectacle of blues and greens inspired by the River Tees. Taking place on the festival's final day, the carnival is a joyful celebration of creativity, community and place.

This year the carnival followed a brand new route starting on the Riverside and passing beneath the new land bridge before arriving on Stockton High Street.

Our Place: Where the River Carries Us

The 2026 theme told a living story of Stockton-on-Tees, where past, present and future flow together like the river itself. Inspired by the Tees as a symbol of connection, memory and renewal, the carnival celebrates the people, landscapes and stories that have shaped the town and continue to carry it forward.

Rooted in place and looking towards new beginnings, Our Place: Where the River Carries Us was a colourful celebration of Stockton's identity and the spirit of SIRF – a carnival where stories, communities and creativity came together on a shared journey.

Experience it for yourself

The SIRF Community Carnival happens on the Sunday of the festival, bringing hundreds of performers, community groups and musicians together for a colourful celebration through the heart of Stockton.