Workshops & Carnival Experiences

Creative Workshops for All Ages

With 24 years of experience at Notting Hill Carnival and an award-winning Carnival design practice, S.i.A delivers hands-on workshops inspired by Carnival, culture, sustainability and wellbeing.

We work with museums, galleries, councils, schools, community organisations and cultural partners, creating opportunities for people of all ages to explore creativity, cultural heritage and connection.

Workshops can include the history of carnival, Carnival-making, costume design, masks, textiles, banner-making, and creative reuse, adapted to suit your audience and project.

Bespoke Workshops

Bespoke workshops can be developed around your audience, theme and objectives.

We also offer a range of wellbeing and creative arts & craft workshops.

Sessions can be arranged as one-off workshops, programmes or part of an exhibition, festival, education or community project.

We offer a range of corporate workshops for staff days and events to cater to your needs.

Bring Carnival to Your Event

You can also book S.i.A Carnival costumes and artworks to feature in your event, exhibition or programme.

Tell us about your project through our booking form.

Our story: 24 years under the arches

Sunshine International Arts began in 2002, inspired by Artistic Director Ray Allan Mahabir’s time volunteering in Mulana, Rajasthan, India. There he saw how shared craft, creativity and skills could bring a whole community together around one piece of work. He brought that spirit home and built it into a UK Carnival arts organisation.

We started small, with a third of a single railway arch, and grew, arch by arch, into a fully equipped Mas Camp across five arches in Loughborough Junction, Brixton. Along the way, S.i.A became an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation, with funding secured through 2028, and grew from a local Carnival band into a creative resource supporting artists, schools, families and Carnival organisations with training, materials and production expertise.

In 2024, we celebrated our journey with Carnival Dreams: A 27-Year Journey, an exhibition curated by Ray Allan Mahabir, featuring more than 100 original costume designs from across his UK career. The exhibition explored Carnival as an expression of resistance, freedom, heritage and joy, tracing its roots in the history of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the struggle for freedom, while connecting this legacy to the living tradition of Notting Hill Carnival today.

Today, our Mas Camp continues that legacy through history, costume design and construction, wire-bending, headdress making, decorative techniques and creative reuse, alongside family and CYP workshops that welcome everyone, whatever their experience.

A new home. A new beginning.

Now, after 24 years under the arches, S.i.A is entering its next chapter in Vauxhall, Lambeth.

Our new home is an opportunity to build on everything we have created, celebrating the heritage, roots, art and history of Caribbean Carnival and welcoming more people to discover Carnival as a powerful art form, not simply a party on the streets.

It is a space to learn, create and connect, supporting artists and communities while sharing the creativity, skills and spirit of Carnival with new generations.

The journey continues.

History & Heritage

We celebrate the rich history and heritage of Caribbean Carnival, connecting its roots, traditions and stories to the world we live in today. We keep these histories alive by sharing knowledge, skills and cultural traditions with new generations.

People

People are at the heart of our work. We create opportunities for artists, communities, families and young people to participate, learn, create and connect, making Carnival and culture accessible to everyone.

Places

We bring Carnival, culture and creativity into different spaces and communities, from Mas Camps and schools to museums, galleries, festivals and public spaces. We create places where people can experience, participate in and connect with culture.

Quality & Excellence

We are committed to elevating the art of Carnival and culture through ambitious design, skilled making and high-quality artistic production. We champion Carnival as a serious and evolving art form, while respecting its heritage and pushing its creative possibilities.

Carnival Preparing Workshop

Early Years Culture Workshops

Banner making

Mas camp

Staff & corporate days

Festival x Carnival arts

Mask & Headdress making

Costume making

Sustainability

Costume Hire

Experience the magic of carnival with our Carnival Costume Hire service. Choose from a diverse range of high quality, authentic costumes in a range of sizes, with accessories to complete the look and a simple rental process.

Make unforgettable memories at any party or themed event. Browse our collection today and join the carnival spirit.

Get involved

Whether you want to learn a new skill, bring your school or community group in, or commission us to help bring your own carnival vision to life, there’s a way in.

Learn with us

Browse our Workshops, from one-off sessions to our year-round Mas Camp.

Work with us

Need support producing a carnival event, costume or design? Get in touch via Commission Us.

Get in touch

Got a general question about Carnival, Mas Camp or our studios? Contact the team.

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