New Year’s Day parade a hit - Alice in Wonderland theme as City Hall councillors show a different side
Published: 07 January 2011
by JOSH LOEB
CITY Hall’s strategic director is a blubbery sea creature and the council’s cabinet member for society is a large rodent.
Councillor Andrew Smith is Tweedledee, Councillor Steve Summers is Tweedledum and Councillor Susie Burbridge is a dormouse. Statements like these would normally carry a risk of court action, but in this case the defence is watertight: they refer to the cast of Alice in Wonderland in the annual New Year’s Day parade, which snaked through central London over the weekend.
Senior councillors donned costumes to take part in the parade and acted out scenes from Lewis Carroll’s psychedelic tale.
Councillor Daniel Astaire, cabinet member for society, stood on top of the “unbirthday” cake dressed as the white rabbit.
Other characters included the council’s strategic director Alastair Gilchrist as the walrus and the city commissioner of transportation, Martin Low, as the carpenter.
The costumes impressed judges so much that they beat dozens of others to the £7,000 prize, which will be donated to charity.
Councillor Robert Davis, the Mad Hatter, said: “We were thrilled to win the first prize and are grateful to all those who gave up their time and put so much in to the makeup and costumes. As International Goodwill Ambassador for the parade, it never ceases to amaze and impress me how many high quality performers from all over the world come together to celebrate the New Year in Westminster.”