Kemp Town Carnival, one of Brighton’s largest community street festivals returns on Saturday, June 4 after taking a years break to sort out their finances.
Organisers have secured two early sponsorship deals with Hartleys Wines and local estate agents Sawyer and Co, with other local businesses close to following suit.
Carnival Chairman, Geoffrey Bowden, said: “These deals will provide the carnival with a sounder financial base, than it has ever enjoyed over the last six years.
“As public sector funding for community events has dried up, the Kemp Town Carnival Association took the difficult decision to take a sabbatical during 2015 to allow a longer period to raise the funding necessary to finance the event. I’m pleased to say that strategy looks to be paying off.”
Apart from generating early commercial sponsorship support, organisers have organised a range of monthly fund-raising events.
The first will be the launch party at the Komedia, on February 12 from 11pm – 3pm. Tickets cost £10/£8 and the lineup includes funk and soul big band, Soul Steppers, the phenomenal Mr Bongo Records, the Natural Elements Crew, and the 10 piece jump up jive legends, Fat 45.
Other venues to stage fundraisers will include St Mary’s Church, Concorde 2 and the Speigel Tent during Brighton Festival.
For details of those fund-raisers, including the Great Kemp Town Bake-off, click here:
Organisers are in discussion with Brighton & Hove City Council with a view to extend the Carnival footprint to include Upper St James Street. The move has received the support of St Mary’s Church, Somerset Day Care Centre, as well as many residents and local traders.
If the local authority agrees to the enlarged area, the 2016 event will boast six live music stages, three performance and street theatre areas and room for even more Carnival fun throughout the day.
Geoffrey continued: “Above all else, this is a much-loved community event and there will be plenty of opportunities for local people to get involved in 2016. You can find out by visiting our new-look website at www.kemptowncarnival.com.”
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