The organisers of Leicester’s Caribbean carnival have said they are heartbroken after announcing the cancellation of this year’s event due to financial difficulties.
The annual celebration had been due to take place in Victoria Park on August 3.
However, last night (Tuesday, July 9) carnival bosses said they had taken the decision to call it off, citing the difficult economic climate and increasing event costs.
“The decision to postpone is heartbreaking but we would like to thank everyone involved for all their help and hard work,” said organiser Dennis Christopher in a statement posted online.
“With the difficult economic climate and increasing event costs, we face significant financial risk.”
The poor weather and a low turn-out to last year’s carnival had also been a factor in the decision he said, adding:
“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.”
Mr Christopher said he would welcome support from the community to ensure carnivals would go ahead from 2025.
“We will be working with our key partners Leicester City Council and East Midlands Carnival Arts Network over the coming months to ensure we bring back a fantastic event for the 40th Anniversary Celebrations in 2025.”
