YORK Carnival returns for a seventh gathering on June 6 with the theme of Going Wild.

An NME-championed band will be joined by community groups and student societies for a vibrant festival of music, art drama and dance.

“This year’s carnival is going to be bigger and better than ever,” says manager Bethan-Marie Cornwall. “We want residents, students, young and old, to join us on this wild adventure as we transform York into an urban jungle.”

Running from 10am to 7pm with free admission, the day’s events centre on the Lion’s Den main stage in Parliament Street and the Bee Hive youth stage in King’s Square. Stalls and workshops along Parliament Street will be offering everything from local produce to percussion and mask-making workshop sessions.

Highlights include the carnival parade from the Minster Gardens at 1pm; an appearance by the up-and-coming band Section 60, fresh from a feature in NME; and the contributions of hundreds of York performers, ranging from poetry to belly dancing.

Carnival is run by student volunteers supported by City of York Council and the University of York Students’ Union with funding from York businesses and charities. Founded in 2004, the event aims to build links between students and residents by celebrating the cultural diversity of the city, while also attracting visitors from across the region.

For this year’s event, student volunteers have run an outreach programme of school workshops on wild costumes, masks and musical instruments. Hundreds of children have been involved and their work will be showcased in performances at the carnival.

Among the students participating in the 2010 carnival is press officer David Clarke, who offers his thoughts on the importance of the student-led annual event.

“It’s time for some home truths,” he says.

“We students have a pretty bad reputation in this city and frankly, it’s not entirely undeserved. We’re messy, loud and all too often inconsiderate and disrespectful.

“I’m only too aware of how much my student dwelling fits the awful stereotype, with its unkempt lawn and noisy parties. It was partly this guilty feeling which led me to get involved as a volunteer for York Carnival.”

This involvement has turned out to be “one of the best things I’ve done at university”, David reckons. “We’ve got a great team, a noble aim and a connection with the city in which we live that it’s often easy to lose in our distant concrete jungle,” he says.

“So I’ve got an appeal to make. People of York, love us for what we are. Look past the littered gardens and the scruffy teenagers stumbling home at 4am; we’ve got so much more to offer.”