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

Huddersfield Carnival will not return in 2024 – its 40th anniversary year – due to a lack of funding.

The much-loved carnival, which celebrates Caribbean culture, has made a long-awaited return in 2023 after a five-year absence. Tens of thousands of people lined the streets and packed into Greenhead Park to watch the parade and enjoy the event.

However, the event has failed to raise sufficient funds this year, with Kirklees Council’s financial situation meaning it is unable to provide support. Organizers say they depend on grants and sponsorships to make the event a reality, but have received little feedback.

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The Huddersfield African Caribbean Cultural Trust (HACCT) and its sub-group the Huddersfield Carnival Management Committee (CMC) confirmed that there will be no festival this year in a statement on social media.

They said: “The team was so proud of the hugely successful event in 2023, however, this year was a significant challenge. As I 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.

“We were unable to make a profitable income from Carnival 2023 due to restrictions on funding received by Arts Council England. Money from the bar and fairs 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.

“We want to say a massive thank you to those who have donated and please be assured that these funds will go towards Carnival 2025. We also thank those who have offered to organize sponsored events and hope you will continue to do so in support of 2025. An additional thank you to those individuals and organizations who shared in fundraising is appreciated.

“The CMC team will take a much needed but very short break before regrouping to begin planning for next year. In addition, HACCT administrators will work to strengthen the organization and prepare for the implementation of our 2025 business plan.

“As always, we welcome new CMC volunteers and HACCT administrators with time and fresh ideas to join the organization.

“Please continue to share our fundraiser, donate when you can and support our future fundraising events.”

A link to the fundraiser is as follows: https://wonderful.org/fundraisers/nDZGN

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