Cultural & Folk Festival · Europe
A seaside village carnival’s fancy dress competition with five classes: under 5, 5-7 and 8 and over, open pairs and groups of all ages, with 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes in each class.
A ready-made fancy dress competition with five classes: under 5, 5 to 7 and 8 and over for individuals, plus open pairs and groups of any age, with first, second and third prizes in every class.
This template models the fancy dress competition that runs on carnival day in a small seaside village in Devon, England. Children and families dress up, gather at the village school, are judged before the procession and then parade down to the beach, where the prizes are presented. It is built from the carnival’s own printed entry form and rules, so the classes and the prize structure are real, but the form carries no year and the current edition’s form must be checked before the template is reused.
There is a single competition, Fancy Dress, divided into five classes. Class 1 is for under 5s, Class 2 for girls and boys aged 5 to 7, and Class 3 for girls and boys aged 8 and over; these three are individual entries by age. Class 4 is Open Pairs and Class 5 is Groups, both open to all ages. In the template the three age classes are individual groups and the pairs and groups classes are team groups that every age can enter.
Every class awards first, second and third prize, and the judges’ decision is final. The rules print no marks, criteria or points, so the template ships no judging criteria: ranks carry no points and each entry is simply marked out of 100 by default. An organiser who wants a scoring sheet can add their own criteria, such as originality, effort and presentation, but those are suggestions, not part of the source rules.
Entry is light-touch. Families either print the form and bring it on the day or register at a committee tent on the beach; the form records the entry’s title, the participants’ names and the class, and the committee issues an entrant number. Signed forms are handed in at the school before judging. The printed times (assembly, judging, parade and prize giving) are edition facts that belong on the Registration Page, and the liability and photograph consent wording is left for the organiser to supply.
Where this event comes from
The competition is part of an annual village water carnival in Shaldon, Devon, and has a published entry form and rules for entrants.
Where this event is run
Fancy dress classes split by age, with separate pairs and group classes, are a staple of village carnivals, summer fetes, seaside processions and school fairs across the United Kingdom and Ireland, and similar costume parades run at community festivals in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. They suit organisers who want a quick, family-friendly competition judged on the spot before a parade, with no rehearsal, stage or time limit to manage.
- United Kingdom
Key facts
- One competition, Fancy Dress, with five classes
- Three individual age classes: under 5, 5 to 7 and 8 and over
- Two team classes open to every age: Open Pairs and Groups
- First, second and third prizes in every class; the judges’ decision is final
- No marks or criteria are printed, so every entry is marked out of 100 by default
- Entrants receive a number from the committee; judging takes place before the procession
- Age groups
- 5
- Competition items
- 1
- Competitions
- 5
- Grade bands
- 0
- Rank awards
- 6
Age groups
Every candidate is placed into one of these groups by age, and competitions are run per group.
Under 5 years
Candidates aged 0 to 4 compete in this group
5 to 7 years
Candidates aged 5 to 7 compete in this group
8 years and over
Candidates aged 8 to 99 compete in this group
Open Pairs
Candidates aged 0 to 99 compete in this group
Groups - all ages
Candidates aged 0 to 99 compete in this group
Competition items
The events themselves — each with the category it belongs to and how judges score it.
Competitions by group
The full schedule matrix, sectioned by age group then category — which item runs for whom, and for how long.
| Item | Type | Gender | Language | Max score | Time limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 5 years | |||||
| On Stage | |||||
| Item | Type | Gender | Language | Max score | Time limit |
| Fancy Dress | Individual | — | — | 100 | — |
| 5 to 7 years | |||||
| On Stage | |||||
| Item | Type | Gender | Language | Max score | Time limit |
| Fancy Dress | Individual | — | — | 100 | — |
| 8 years and over | |||||
| On Stage | |||||
| Item | Type | Gender | Language | Max score | Time limit |
| Fancy Dress | Individual | — | — | 100 | — |
| Open Pairs | |||||
| On Stage | |||||
| Item | Type | Gender | Language | Max score | Time limit |
| Fancy Dress | Team | — | — | 100 | — |
| Groups - all ages | |||||
| On Stage | |||||
| Item | Type | Gender | Language | Max score | Time limit |
| Fancy Dress | Team | — | — | 100 | — |
Grades and ranks
How scores turn into grade bands, and how many points each placing is worth.
| Grade | For | Condition | Score | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | For | Points |
|---|---|---|
| First | Individual | 0 |
| Second | Individual | 0 |
| Third | Individual | 0 |
| First | Team | 0 |
| Second | Team | 0 |
| Third | Team | 0 |
Frequently asked questions
Can I change this template after installing it?
Yes — installing it creates a fully configured, live event, not a locked package. Every age group, competition item, rule and scoring setting can be edited afterwards to match exactly what your event actually needs.
Do I need technical knowledge to set this up?
No. Installing a template does the setup work for you; you only need to review the details (dates, unit or house names) and open registration.
Want the fuller picture first? See our guide to judge scoring and tabulation software.
Install this template in eTalenter
Everything above is installed as a live, editable event in one step — age groups, items, rules and scoring. Start your own below.
Start a Shaldon Water Carnival Fancy Dress event
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