Leeds Carnival king and queen's costume delight

The winning carnival king and queen taking part in the parade

The creators of the king and queen costumes at the Leeds West Indian Carnival described making the designs as a "family affair".

The event has been held in Chapeltown and Harehills since 1967, except in 2020 and 2021 when Covid hit.

It was established as a remedy for homesickness for those who migrated from the Caribbean.

Hughbon Condor worked on the carnival king and queen costumes for this year's event alongside his son and grandson.

Mr Condor, who made his first costume for the event in 1979, created the winning carnival king design for this year's event while the winning queen entry was made by his son and grandson.

"For me it's an opportunity for us as Caribbean people to display our culture," he said.

"It's very much based around the abolition of slavery, so every year we celebrate that and think about our ancestors who were enslaved.

"Now we are free people and should utilise the opportunity to demonstrate and enjoy the day."

This year, Mr Condor from High Esteem Designs said the costumes were inspired by Las Vegas casinos and feature a roulette wheel and playing cards.

"For me, it's not about winning, it's more about being creative and being able to bring a concept to life," he said.

Seph Condor helped create the winning carnival king and queen costumes with his father and son

His son Seph said his dad had been designing costumes for more than 50 years and joked: "I'm only still young, I'm just 20 years in."

"My son has also been helping out since he's been old enough to pick up tools. So it's very much a family affair."

He said the team had been working on the costumes for the past four years and it was a "passion" for the event that kept them going.

The carnival took place at Potternewton Park, where the parade began and ended.

Organisers were heard joking with the crowd on Sunday that for the first time its 56 year history, the parade was going to start on time.

Leeds West Indian Carnival parade started at Potternewton Park on Monday

Fenella Gumbs said her costume was based on the poker hand the Royal Flush as part of the Las Vegas-inspired theme

The event has been held in Chapeltown and Harehills since 1967