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St Paul’s Carnival cancelled
St Paul’s Carnival has been cancelled this year due to event management concerns.
Organisers announced on Friday that the Afro-Caribbean street festival, originally postponed until September, will no longer be going ahead.
The free event, which has been running for 47 years, will be replaced this year by a ticketed variety show and family fun day on September 5 at Malcolm X Community Centre, St Paul’s.
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“There will be no large scale Carnival event this year,” a statement from St Paul’s Afrikan Caribbean Carnival Ltd said. “The organisation is working hard with funders and supporters to make sure we can deliver a successful Afrikan-Caribbean cultural celebration in Bristol for many years to come.”
Cleo Lake, the festival’s director, told Bristol24/7 that the carnival had not been able to find an appropriate event management team to run the 100,000-people street party.
“Funding is not the issue here,” she said. “It is the management element of organising a massive, unticketed event on the street.
“We have tried to work with the right people but unfortunately it hasn’t worked for us this year.”
She added that security was a top concern and said the team would be working hard to ensure the carnival takes place in the future.
The festival hit the headlines for the wrong reasons last year when six people were stabbed during and immediately after the event.
It is the third time the carnival has been cancelled since it started in 1968. In 2002, the carnival outgrew its organising ability and in 2006 a new organising team decided on a fallow year to make better preparations for 2007.
This year’s replacement event – Grass Roots Journey and Legacy: A Community Showcase – on September 5 will be divided into a free family day from 12pm-6pm and a variety show from 10pm-late, with a £10 entry fee.
Limited tickets for both parts at Malcolm X Community Centre are available from Monday July 13 at Bristol Ticket Shop and Eventbrite.
St Pauls Afrikan Caribbean Carnival is a registered charity with a voluntary board of trustees and relies on donations.
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