People of Glasgow: My family have run stalls at the IRN-BRU Carnival for 100 years

Kevin Carter (59), third-generation of the Carter family, is returning to the IRN-BRU Carnival this year for his family’s 100 th year at the helm of the Glasgow institution (December 22– January 14) at SEC, Glasgow.

Kevin, who owns the darts, the cross-bows and the ball in the bucket stalls, remembers way back when: when elephants and monkeys were the star attraction in the Kelvinhall Carnival, and when the parents of now were the children of then. On its 104 th anniversary, Kevin looks back at a life-time at the IRN-BRU Carnival: “You’ve got to have the gift of the gab as a show-person, that’s the main thing. You have to be a talker, and I’m a talker.

“The IRN-BRU Carnival is one of these institutions which people just love, and they love it for how it is and how it always has been. I honestly think if you tried to change it in any big way, people would be pretty upset. It has a bit of everything, and people like to know what to expect.

“Rides have been updated, and there are more thrill rides, as that’s what’s most popular now – the IRN-BRU Carnival do a good job at keeping up with what people want. This year for example there’s an outdoor thrill ride which the young ones will flock to. There are more inclusive sessions put on too: we have an Autism Friendly Session now which is great to see.

“Still, the nostalgia is part of the appeal. What I hear most is how the smells, the lights, and the familiar set-up is something people look forward to the most, it takes them back to all the fun times they’ve had there.

“My grandfather used to have his stall in Kelvinhall back in the 1920’s before my father took over in the 1950s and the Carnival moved to the SEC. I took over with my brother in 1984.

“My grandmother was from a family of five generations of show people, so it’s in my blood and I can’t imagine doing anything else. I started when I was about 13, helping out my mum at the rides. We got a bit of money for our work but we were mostly paid in rides and food – it’s some of my favourite memories, and as a kid it was a dream come true.

“It’s mad to look back at the days before the SEC. The Kelvinhall Carnival consisted of an indoor zoo, as well a Circus, and of course the Carnival itself with rides and stalls. There were lions, monkeys, donkeys, horses, you name it, they had it. You could smell the elephants before you saw them. They were huge when you were wee, and it’s hard to believe it was done looking back, but that’s the way it was. The Kelvinhall’s glass ceiling was actually curved to fit the elephants in!

“Back then, seeing these kind of animals wasn’t the usual for people, it was fascinating to everyone, especially as a kid. We used to go in and throw them apples and peanuts. I still remember the night a monkey escaped and there were zookeepers out trying to fetch them from the ceiling.

“It’s still the highlight of the festive season for so many. I see the same faces in and out every year, sometimes multiple times a week. It’s kind of like a big family tradition between the community of show people and the people who visit.

“I can’t imagine doing anything else, and have never got sick of it despite having done it all my life – I’ll be doing this for as long as I can. I’ve spent Christmas with my fellow Carnival show-people almost every year of my life, and wouldn’t change it for anything.

“This job for me isn’t about the money, it’s about the community, seeing people, and of course, talking!”

Tickets are available now for The IRN-BRU Carnival kicking off on Friday, December 22 2023 through to Sunday January 14 2024 (closed Christmas Day).

Standard entry tickets are available from £18.50 with discounts available for groups, concessions and Young Scot card holders, and kids under three go free. Find out more at the Irn-Bru Carnival website.