Organisers of the Kemptown Carnival have made the decision to cancel this years event so that the development of the new governing body of the organisation can be fully established.
Despite having secured financial confidence to go forward with the Carnival this year with Brighton Palace Pier due to be announced as the main sponsor, organisers have decided that more time is needed to ensure that the foundations of the new Kemptown Carnival CIC as an emerging Carnival Arts Organisation in the south of England are firmly secure.
Anne Ackord, Chief Executive Officer of The Brighton Pier Group PLC, said: “We are sorry that time is against us for 2018 but we will continue to offer support to this great carnival and are sure that 2019 will be a year to remember.”
As well as establishing the new structures for the Kemptown Carnival CIC, the current national UK climate on public safety and the additional operational challenges that face an open access event of the carnivals size and nature, required significantly more time than was anticipated.
Kemptown Carnival Director Mat Cook, says: “It is of course massively disappointing to have come so far in the planning to have reached the point where the carnival is on sure financial footing, to then have to move the event back a year, but this is wisest course under the circumstances.
We have been working on new carnival projects with some fantastic artists and community groups from across Brighton and Hove and these new artistic projects are set to carry over to 2019.
I would like to thank the Palace Pier for all of their support and also the dedicated local residents who have been giving their time and energy to help get the carnival back on course. I would also like to send a massive thank you to all of the artists and performers, and members of the public that have supported us at our fundraising events over the last year and continue to share their talent and dedication to the Carnival.
I am very sad that we have had to make this decision and I am sure there will be a lot of disappointed people out there, but as the Kemptown Carnival has become such a huge event, a new robust organisational structure is absolutely essential if the carnival is to go forward and continue on its way to becoming a leading carnival arts organisation in the south-east”.
The new Carnival organisation will be holding a public meeting in the coming months to get the ball rolling for 2019 and most essentially to continue to build solid foundations for the new carnival CIC.
If you would like to get involved or know of others that would like to join the team, email: info@kemptowncarnival.com
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