'Heartbreaking': Leicester's 2024 Caribbean Carnival cancelled due to 'significant financial risk'

• WATCH: Last year's event featured fewer attendees as Storm Antoni swept the UK with wet and windy weather.

Leicester's annual Caribbean Carnival has been cancelled for 2024.

Organisers cited "the difficult economic climate and increasing event costs" which has caused "significant financial risk."

This year's event was due to take place at Victoria Park on Saturday 3rd August - 3 weeks away - but organisers said this year's postponement was also "not helped by the possibility of poor weather and low uptake on visitors to the park in 2023."

In a public announcement, organiser Dennis ‘Sugar’ Christopher, said: "Unfortunately, with a heavy heart, this year we are very sorry to inform you that we must postpone the event until 2025.

"Organising and planning an event as big as carnival is a huge and complex task – Leicester’s Caribbean Carnival is a massive undertaking for a very small team, and this year, despite our very best efforts, we simply weren’t able to overcome the many challenges we faced in time.

"The decision to postpone is heartbreaking, but we would like to thank everyone involved for all their help and hard work, in particular the council and Safety Advisory Group.

"Once again, we hope you understand that we are just as upset as you are and will do our best to ensure this does not happen again and would therefore welcome support from the community and local organisations to ensure the future longevity of the Carnival.

"We will be working with our key partners Leicester City Council and East Midlands Carnival Arts Network over the coming months to ensure we bring back a fantastic event for the 40th Anniversary Celebrations in 2025, and we very much hope to see you there."

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