Borough leader ‘cannot guarantee’ that Hackney Carnival will return next year

Hackney Carnival attracts thousands of visitors but has been on hiatus since 2019. Photograph: Hackney Council

Hackney Mayor Philip Glanville said he cannot guarantee that Hackney Carnival will return next year after it was cancelled in September following the Queen’s death.

The borough leader reflected on a difficult decision, with the decision to scrap the major event taken just days before it was set to go ahead.

He said the move was made by senior politicians following advice from officers and the council’s chief executive.

The carnival had been paused since 2019 because of the pandemic.

Like other councils, Hackney officially proclaimed the Queen’s death and succession of Charles III on the Sunday after her death – the day carnival was due to take place.

The Mayor told an audience of 30 residents at an in-person Mayor’s Question Time, which was also live streamed, that the council had pumped close to £1m into the event and paid everyone it was “contractually obliged to pay”.

He said people who had prepared food and drink were offered pitches at markets across Hackney, and they were also given refunds.

He said: “I can’t guarantee whether Carnival will be back next year or whether it will be the year after.”

Mayor Glanville said this is because of the “logistical challenges of organising it and the cost”.

He said the council is “working on the best solution”.

He said he is a fan of the event and added: “I really worry what it says if we don’t have it.”

There are plans for a spring event, such as the Dalston children’s carnival that was held a few years ago.

A Hackney Council spokesman said: “In the context of the council’s current funding constraints and the cost-of-living crisis, it is yet to be determined whether it would be financially feasible to hold a full carnival event in September 2023.”

More than 2,200 people signed an online petition organised by Dominic Myatt, who said cancelling the carnival was “the wrong decision to make – local small businesses will suffer and people who are already struggling”.

He said “an appropriate act of remembrance during the event would be a more measured approach”.

There will be carnival events over the next few weeks, with three days of half-term workshops from 24-26 October, including costume-making, arts, and live music at Hoxton Hall.

There’s another music event at Hoxton Hall on 27 October, and live-streamed events on 28 and 29 October from 12pm to 6pm.

Sunday 30 October sees a showcase of performances from Hackney’s carnival groups from 4pm to 7pm.