St Pauls Carnival will not be going ahead in 2021, organisers confirm

St Pauls Carnival will not be going ahead in 2021, organisers confirm

Posted on: 24 Mar 2021

Bristol's much-loved annual celebration has been called off for a second year running.

 

St Pauls Carnival will not be going ahead this summer, organisers have confirmed via a statement posted online.

 

Widely regarded as one of the biggest and best events on Bristol's cultural calendar, and due to take place on the first Saturday in July, Carnival has been put on hold for a second year running due to ongoing safety concerns regarding the coronavirus pandemic.

 

Despite the government's recent 'roadmap' announcement outlining plans to ease restrictions, with mass gatherings expected to be allowed from 21 June, it has been deemed unfeasible to hold an event of Carnival's scale in such uncertain circumstances.

St Pauls Carnival.

The news means 2021 is the second year in a row Carnival has been unable to go ahead, after the event was called off last year amid the initial coronavirus outbreak and subsequent UK lockdown.

 

St Pauls Carnival 2020 was replaced by a virtual event, titled Spirit Up! At Home, which took place entirely online and featured an extensive lineup of dance, music, workshops and more.

 

Speaking on the postponement of St Pauls Carnival 2021, the event's Executive Director, LaToyah McAllister-Jones, said:

 

“Like most events, it has been a challenging year though we have also seen some fantastic and creative collaborations throughout. We are tremendously proud of launching the UK’s first digital carnival in 2020.

 

“However, it was really concerning when a 3rd lockdown was announced on 4th January 2021. We knew this would have serious repercussions on the event calendar for 2021.

 

“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.

 

“Despite the fantastic rollout of the vaccination programme, there are still public health risks that we have to take into consideration.”

 

 

Organisers went on to explain that they are working alongside Bristol City Council to explore possibilities of an event later in the year, but confirmed that no decisions will be made until there are more guarantees for public safety.

 

Carole Johnson, Bristol's Deputy Lord Mayor and Interim Chair of the St Pauls Carnival CIC, added:

 

“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.

 

“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 Image: Joe Rosser

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Article by:

Matt Robson

 

Editor - 365Bristol.com & LOUD Magazine
 

Matt is a Journalism graduate and writer, passionate about supporting Bristol music, art and independent business. Get in touch via email at matt@365bristol.com.