Carnival Collective are Brighton’s epic party band, guaranteed to blow your socks off!
For more than 30 years this fun-loving glittering beast has been infusing audiences all over Europe with an irresistible desire to move their feet! The CC sound ranges from live drum and bass, reggae and jungle to cumbia and swing, and are played on a vast bateria of Brazilian drums, with a fat horn section and dirty bass-lines, topped with beautiful vocal harmonies.
Carnival Collective perform as anything from a 17 piece combo for smaller venues, up to a 25-30 piece colossus that fills even the biggest club and festival stages. Whatever the size of the band, it always delivers a tidal wave of energetic music.
Carnival Collective · Reviews
From the press, the people who book us, and the people on the dancefloor.
Reviews from the music press.
Swipe or scroll sideways to browse. When this review list is focused, use the left and right arrow keys to browse, or Home and End to reach the first and last reviews.
An extraordinary group of musicians hammering out an intoxicating rhythm from saxophones, trumpets and all manner of percussive instruments.
Ian Burrell
The Independent.
The spirit of Carnival Collective summed up what Glastonbury does best
Ian Burrell
The Independent
The perfect ending to the Great Escape Festival
BN1 Magazine
A stylish beast of a band; full of colour... having a riot... witnessed them rock a million stages, dancing our socks off as they played to thousands of people, from Shangri-La to packed streets.
All night, the crowd swayed back and forth intoxicated by their infectious performance... the whole floor was moving – literally!
Brighton & Hove News
From venues, promoters, festivals and event organisers.
Swipe or scroll sideways to browse. When this review list is focused, use the left and right arrow keys to browse, or Home and End to reach the first and last reviews.
It is difficult to begin to express just how brilliant Carnival Collective are. Their infectious enthusiasm, musical talent and pure energy light up every stage they are on and venue they occupy. Their shows are a joyous experience, which lighten your mood and you can’t help dancing and singing along. Their inclusive ethos is also a great thing and that spirit transcends all that they do. Watching Carnival Collective is a highlight of my year and I always leave with a beaming smile on my face!
Julian Caddy
CEO of Brighton Fringe between 2011 and 2023.
Carnival Collective are a sight and sound to behold! They bring an insane, infectious energy to any tent, which has every single person dancing from the first notes. Every time we have programmed them, they have sold out way ahead of the show date, showing how much audiences love them and want to see them play. For a complex, big (very big!) band they are super easy to work with, they know what they need and are a pleasure to plan an event with.
Aniela Zaba
Caravanserai
We are always so delighted to have Carnival Collective play at Charivari Day; they are absolutely everything a carnival band needs to be. They are brilliant and we can't wait to welcome them again to Folkestone soon! The audience always comments on how great Carnival Collective are, either playing in the parade or their amazing static stage set. They bring such style and energy to their performances and we get lots of people saying how much they loved them. Carnival Collective is so easy to work with - great communicators so that everyone knows what’s going on. Thanks guys for making a very complicated event a little bit easier to put on. We love the rickshaw, it brings a whole new element to our walking parade, but I am sure the cobbled hill climb must have turned the cyclists legs to jelly : )
Brigitte Orasinski
Strange Cargo
Carnival Collective simply ROCKED the place. You don’t get better than if you’re looking for a really powerful big group on stage.
Fabio Terranova
Guanabara, London
A 21st century big band, purveying breakbeat-infused funk, with its sizzling horn section
Hootenanny Brixton
From the people who were there.
An irresistible, huge, pink and blue music-making amoeba that never stops moving and passes on its own good vibes to anyone who cares to listen. Any recording might not capture what they're like live, but they were as much fun when not performing as they were when tearing it up playing live.
Michael Cullen
Performance Artist
YOUR NEXT GREAT NIGHT.
Book the band
