Roadmap in place for carnival return, say organisers

Organisers of a 40-year-old street carnival say they have a "roadmap" for its return, following a two-year hiatus caused by finance issues.

Oxford's Cowley Road Carnival has only happened once since the Covid pandemic in 2024, with the previous organisers stepping down earlier this year.

Rosie Jacobs, the new chair of Cowley Road Works, the registered charity that runs it, and says plans are in place for it to return on 4 July 2027.

She said the new committee was "working really, really hard behind the scenes to make sure that both the charity and the future of Carnival are sustainable".

"We're trying to do something that isn't just a flash in the pan or fall over before we get going," she said.

"We're really serious about the future of both the charity and making sure that Carnival has a sustainable future and a long-lasting legacy."

Jacobs said the Cowley Road Works committee now a "roadmap to bring carnival back next July".

At an event at East Oxford Community Centre on Sunday, Jacobs and her fellow committee members will be asking locals what they would like to see from next year's event.

She said it was "the start, the foothills, of bringing carnival back".

"Sunday is all about community outreach - getting people to come along, tell us what they loved about Carnival in the past and making sure that we're as inclusive as possible."

The original event, which fills the streets with music and dazzling costumes, began with the Caribbean Carnival in 1986.

However, it has faced several challenges over the past decade, including the pandemic and funding issues.

The event returned to Cowley Road in 2024 for the first time in five years, before being cancelled again last year.