After more than half a century of bringing mas to the people of Yorkshire, the organisers of Leeds West Indian Carnival have reluctantly decided to cancel this years’ event, which was scheduled to be held on bank holiday Monday 31 August.
In a statement announcing the decision, carnival chairman and founder Arthur France said: “As carnivalists, we know how to unite the city through joy, happiness and adversity, and it’s these qualities that will help us get through these difficult times.
“We will be back in 2021 bigger and better with an array of feathers, gems, sequins, costumes and music.
“I would like to thank everyone involved in carnival over the last 53 years and especially the carnival committee who given up their time for the love of carnival.
“We support our long-standing partner, our friends at Leeds City Council and together we’ll be jammin’ again.”
The cancellation has been forced on the carnival committee by the coronavirus pandemic. The virus, which has infected more than a million people worldwide, has led to the cancellation of many other carnivals scheduled between April and August in the UK, Caribbean and elsewhere.
So far there has been no definitive word about the future of London’s Notting Hill Carnival, scheduled for the end of August.
