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St Paul’s Carnival confirms it will not take place in July 2021
One of the city’s most loved events has announced that it will not be taking place in July 2021.
St Paul’s Carnival, which normally takes place on the first Saturday of July, will be absent from the city’s events calendar for summer.
The carnival, which attracts more than 100,000 people each year, took place online for 2020 and organisers hope that the event can return to the streets in 2022.
is needed now More than ever
“Large open access events like Carnival are not able to control the numbers that attend and without selling tickets, no way of knowing where those people come from or travel back to,” says LaToyah McAllister-Jones, executive director of St Paul’s Carnival.
“Despite the fantastic rollout of the vaccination programme, there are still public health risks that we have to take into consideration. We are working with Bristol City Council and the wider events sector to understand what may be possible later in the year.
“However, against a backdrop of considerable uncertainty it is difficult to plan at the moment and we are very sorry that this will no doubt be a big disappointment for the community.”
Even though large scale events are likely to be allowed from June 21, the one-day celebration of African Caribbean takes months of planning which is not currently possible amid the continuing uncertainty.
Carnival won’t be taking place in July. Photo: St Paul’s Carnival
Organisers work with nearby schools and local community groups to create costumes and rehearse performances, and the level of artistic preparation necessary isn’t possible under current restrictions.
LaToyah says that people should be “rest assured Carnival will return” and that the team behind the event are looking forward to being able to celebrate with the St Paul’s community as soon as it is safe to do so.
“We are hopeful that we will continue to find ways to celebrate African Caribbean culture and the significant contributions our communities have made to this city and the UK,” adds deputy lord mayor councillor Carole Johnson, interim chair of St Paul’s Carnival.
“Our focus at this time is to keep everyone safe, particularly given the significant impact of Covid-19 on African Caribbean people.
“We will announce a date soon for a virtual community meeting where we can update people on our plans for 2021 and find out how people want to be involved.”
Main photo: St Paul’s Carnival
Read more: Summer of uncertainty for Bristol festivals and live music
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