St Paul’s Carnival to now take place every two years

We will have to wait two years for the next St Paul’s Carnival after organisers revealed that the event will now be a biennial occasion.

The carnival joins other previously annual Bristol events including Upfest and Mayfest in deciding to take a fallow year.

More than 100,000 people attended the celebration of African Caribbean culture as it returned on July 1 for the first time since 2019.

But organisers are now saying that if Bristol wants to see the carnival back on the streets “in all its authentic glory, we need to recognise and accept its true cost and work together to make it happen”.

More than £250,000 has to be raised to put on the free-to-attend event, with carnival executive director, LaToyah McAllister-Jones, saying that she and her small team now “cannot sustain running the full carnival every year”.

McAllister-Jones said: “We are all buzzing from an incredible event. I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who came and made the day so memorable.

“We are very grateful for support from the Arts Council, Bristol City Council, and partner agencies across the city together with the community of St Paul’s and our sponsors and supporters, without them the 2023 event would not have happened.

“Our attention now turns to the future and, as a fundraising arts organisation, we still need to make people aware that it is only with public generosity and support that we can put this event on in the future.

“This year’s carnival also helped further test the viability of the current funding model and the challenges faced to generate enough funds year-on-year.

“As a result, we now plan to stage a full-scale carnival every two years, with 2024 seeing the return to our community-led Back-a-Yard format which we successfully ran during the pandemic years.

“We will also continue our ongoing year-round initiatives, including our highly popular schools’ and education programme which forms part of Carnival 365

“The event landscape has changed in this post-Covid era, and we are seeing other non-ticket events experiencing similar pressures to us.

“We thank everyone who donated and supported us this year. However, the reality is that only a very small proportion of people contribute compared with those who attend.”

McAllister-Jones added: “We have to raise in excess of £250,000 – 50 per cent of the cost to safely run an event of this scale in Bristol.

“As a free-to-attend street event which gets a small proportion of donations compared to other events in the city, we cannot sustain running the full carnival every year.

“Our message is clear: if you want St Paul’s Carnival back on the streets in all its authentic glory, we need to recognise and accept its true cost and work together to make it happen.”

Donations can still be made via the St Paul’s Carnival website: www.stpaulscarnival.net/donate

Main photo: Rob Browne

Read next:

• St Paul’s Carnival makes triumphant return
  
• Breakfast With Bristol24/7: LaToyah McAllister-Jones
• Couple put a ring on it at St Paul’s Carnival

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