The tradition of seeing in the New Year with a carnival parade of giants started in 1990. A group of local musicians and craftspeople began making giants to celebrate the coming of the New Year. Local teams join in the building of the giants and the New Year's Procession has become a regular part of Lostwithiel’s identity and cultural heritage, enjoyed by locals and trhose who visit for the event.
The parade starts at about 11.30pm from the top of Fore Street, outside the Kings Arms. The Giants, drummers, pipers, carnival dancers and revellers all make their way down Fore Street and into the Parade, crossing the Medieval bridge and moving up Grenville Road to arrive at the Earl of Chatham at about midnight. After appropriate celebrations, the parade returns along the same route to finish with more music and dancing at the top of Fore Street.
To find out more about the traditions of the Lostwithiel Giants, visit the offical archive site after you finish your tour of the trail. The archive can be found at https://lostwithielgiantsarchive.wordpress.com/
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