Huddersfield Carnival has been canceled in its 40th year due to a lack of funding

Huddersfield Carnival will not be returning to mark its 40th year due to a lack of funding.

The event, which celebrates Caribbean culture, returned in 2023 after a five-year absence, with thousands of people watching the parade.

However, organizers said it failed to raise enough funds to allow it to go ahead this year.

They said Kirklees Council was unable to provide any support due to financial pressures.

Organizers said they depend on grants and sponsorships to make the event a reality, but have only received support from one organization this year, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

In a statement on social media, Huddersfield African Caribbean Cultural Trust and its sub-group Huddersfield Carnival Management Committee said the team were “so proud of the hugely successful 2023 event” but that 2024 was “significantly challenging”. .

They said “As we have communicated to you all, there has been no support from the council given the current financial pressures. Despite our efforts to contact many local and national companies and businesses, we have only secured funding from one local organization.”

The groups said they were unable to generate a profitable income from last year’s carnival “due to restrictions on funding received by Arts Council England”.

The statement continued: “The money raised from the bar and exhibition went to the council as repayment for their financial support.

“We reached out to the community through social media, WhatsApp, posters and radio, however our fundraising did not get the support we needed.

“Unfortunately, without the financial support of the Huddersfield and wider carnival community, we were unable to raise the necessary funds.”

The organizer said they would take a “much needed but very short break” before starting to plan the 2025 carnival and that any funds donated would go towards that.