ORGANISERS of Thornbury Carnival say there are no plans to hold the event again next year.
The carnival’s volunteer committee has collectively stepped down, saying the event is “no longer affordable in its current form”.
Attendance has been declining year on year, with outgoing chair Liam Williams saying there “doesn’t appear to be an appetite for this kind of event any longer”.
Unless a new group is prepared to take on and revamp the event, this year’s 90th anniversary carnival will have been the last.
The carnival was first held in 1935 and traditionally featured a parade, followed by a gathering on the Mundy playing fields.
The last parade was held in 2019: after the 2020 and 2021 events were lost to Covid restrictions, it returned as a festival based at the playing fields.
Liam said: “I’ve been involved with the carnival since 2018 and have been chair since 2019.
“It’s a community event that I’ve been proud to be a part of and in particular, I’m proud to have led such an incredible group of volunteers that make carnival happen.
“However, the last two or three years have demonstrated that there doesn’t appear to be an appetite for this kind of event any longer, and certainly not one that requires an entry fee to be paid.”
He said Love Thornbury events on the High Street had shown many aspects of the carnival, including live music, stalls, vintage car displays, entertainment and fairground rides, could be staged there free of charge.
‘Significant loss’
Liam said: “Following the two-year break for the Covid pandemic, we took the opportunity to refresh the event and really hoped that this would offer the chance to secure the event’s sustainability.
“Regrettably, this has not proven to be the case, with attendance declining year on year, which means the event is no longer affordable in its current form.”
Liam said the event made a “significant loss” last year but secured “critical financial support” from Thornbury Town Council that allowed it to go ahead this year, along with donations from Friends of Thornbury Carnival.
Some local businesses had stepped up to help cover costs, and the carnival made a “nominal surplus” this year, but was dependent on the town council, “key individuals” who helped secure sponsorship and long-term partners Easter Compton Farm Shop and KJ Entertainments to keep going.
‘We’ve offered everything we can’
Liam said: “The continued reductions in the level of attendance and the challenging financial outlook have caused the current committee to evaluate our role – we feel we have offered everything we can to run a successful event and we’ve taken time every year to evaluate what we are doing based on community feedback, experience and learning from other events.
“We have therefore collectively decided to step down from running the event and offer someone, or a group of people, the opportunity to come forward and consider how it might be brought back in the future.”
Liam said he is willing to share information with anyone interested in taking on the carnival – people can email him at chairthornburycarnival@gmail.com.
He said: “I would like to finish by sharing my wholehearted gratitude to everyone who volunteered to make Thornbury Carnival happen in recent years.”
Top picture: The 2019 carnival was the last to feature a procession. Photo: Thornbury Camera Club