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One of Britain’s biggest Caribbean carnivals has been cancelled at the eleventh hour due to concerns over its expense.
Leicester Caribbean Carnival organisers announced the “heartbreaking” decision this week, citing “significant financial risk” as the reason for the move.
The annual extravaganza, which has been running for nearly 40 years, was due to take place on Saturday 3 August in Victoria Park, Leicester.
“Unfortunately, with a heavy heart, this year we are very sorry to inform you that we must postpone the event until 2025,” reads an official statement from chair Dennis ‘Sugar’ Christopher.
“With the difficult economic climate and increasing event costs, we face significant financial risk. This is not helped by the possibility of poor weather and low uptake on visitors to the park we had in 2023.
“Organising and planning an event as big as carnival is a huge and complex task - Leicester's Caribbean Carnival is a massive undertaking for a very small team, and this year, despite our very best efforts, we simply weren't able to overcome the many challenges we faced in time.”
The statement goes on to say: “The decision to postpone is heartbreaking, but we would like to thank everyone involved for all their help and hard work, in particular the council and Safety Advisory Group.”
“Once again, we hope you understand that we are just as upset as you are and will do our best to ensure this does not happen again and would therefore welcome support from the community and local organisations to ensure the future longevity of the Carnival.
The news was met with disappointment from members of the local community.
Responding to the announcement on social media, one resident, Heidi Leatherland, said: “This is such a shame. I took my children to this event in 2022 and it was a glorious day. We went again last year, sadly it did rain (a lot) but it was still a fantastic parade. We were really looking forward to this year. Let’s hope it gets the funding it deserves”.
“I’m struggling with this. Diwali and other events get all the funding and this incredible showcase of a great community isn’t given the support. Why?,” another reveller, Zay Kerbelker, wrote.
Resident Sharrona Small added: “A lot of people upset at the last minute decision to cancel. Maybe before putting on another, check your budget and see if you can afford it so as not to disappoint the whole of Leicester 4 weeks before the event”.
Like numerous Caribbean carnivals around the world, this event’s inception was rooted in resistance.
In 1984, several members of Leicester’s Caribbean community were inspired to launch an affair that acknowledged the African-Caribbean heritage.
That year marked 150 years of the Emancipation of slavery in the Caribbean and nothing was being done to celebrate that important milestone in Leicester.
The following year, in August 1985, the first Leicester Caribbean Carnival was staged. It grew to become known as the largest multi-cultural event in the Midlands.
According to recent census data, Leicester is one of the first cities in the UK where people identifying as white are no longer the majority with 43.4 per cent identifying as being Asian heritage, 40.9 per cent as white, 7.8 per cent as Black and 3.8 per cent as being mixed or multiple heritage.
Leicester Carnival organisers said they will be working with Leicester City Council and East Midlands Carnival Arts Network over the coming months to “bring back a fantastic event” next year which marks the event’s 40th anniversary.
Leicester City Council has been approached for comment.
