Carnival to feature night defile'

Carnival by Night is to feature in this year’s Carnival programme, with the usual Saturday afternoon defile' being moved to the evening, the organising committee said today.The Carnival programme kicks off on Friday, February 1 with a performance by the Macedonian Gypsy brass band, while dancing competitions start at 6 p.m.Children’s carnival will be held on the morning of February 2 but the main innovation will be the ‘Carnival by night’ with the defile' of floats in Valletta starting at 5.30 and continuing till 9 p.m., enabling the designers of the floats to make the best use of the artifical lighting they instal on their colourful creations.The Carnival programme then follows its normal course with the defile' on Sunday afternoon and the final flourish on Tuesday evening in Valletta and Floriana, but for the first time this year, there will also be street parades by various bands and troupes in Valletta on Monday February 4 and the following day at 11 a.m. They will be led by the WIJ uut Zender Band of the Netherlands and will also feature the Macedonian gypsy band and various dancing schools.