Although this year’s Bath Carnival will go ahead on Saturday 13th July, the organisers say they have had to make some “difficult decisions” after a major funding blow.
The Bath Carnival in 2019 | Photo © Lucy Baker Photography
In a statement, they said: “Bath Carnival is deeply saddened to announce that this year their application to Arts Council England has been unsuccessful; this will result in major changes to the affiliated outreach programme planned for May to July.
“In recent years Arts Council England Lottery Funding has played an essential role in a funding model that’s enabled Bath Carnival to deliver its annual carnival arts outreach programme and a large-scale summer event.
“Since receiving this disappointing news, the team have worked round the clock to restructure the budget and secure emergency investment for this year.
“Thanks to the increased support of donors and sponsors, the full-scale Bath Carnival event will still take place on Saturday 13th July.
“However, to ensure the future of this culturally important event, a series of difficult decisions have been made which affect both the short and long-term prospects for Bath Carnival as an organisation, and the important work its team of artists does in the community throughout the year.
“In short, the community organisation will need the support of the local community and its wider supporters now more than ever.”
The organisers say Bath Carnival is so much more than a one-day event and the outreach programme planned for May to July is no longer possible in its original format this year.
Bath Carnival director Stu Matson said: “We are devastated to see freelance artists losing job security, young artists losing access to their mentors, and many beneficiaries across Bath & North East Somerset no longer participating in workshops that mean so much to them.”
Over the past decade, the popular arts outreach programme has established long-lasting relationships with local schools, charities, and community groups, offering free access to arts activities, for both participants and spectators.
It has helped more than 100 early career artists into paid employment in the local creative sector, and thousands more young people to explore their potential through music, dance, puppetry, costume-making, and theatre.
Some of the most vulnerable members of the local community, including low-income families and those with complex needs, have developed skills over many years and built the confidence to showcase their talents.
Moving forward, the organisers say they will be exploring new ways to fund this work on the same scale next year, with increased private donations becoming increasingly important.
Stu Matson added: “Since we set up Bath Carnival in 2013, the funding landscape for arts projects across the country has changed significantly, with increasing numbers of applicants bidding for ever decreasing funds.
“We are now seeing the true impact of the pandemic and a cost of living crisis across the industry, with festivals closing, independent venues disappearing from our city centres and established arts organisations, collectives and freelance artists publishing their own emergency posts online on a near weekly basis.”
This year will now see a new business model in place, with the annual Bath Carnival event delivered as a self-sustaining enterprise; funded solely by donors, sponsorship, earned income and in-kind business support.
This will allow the organisers to focus their reduced resources on securing future funding for the important community outreach that makes the carnival project so unique for Bath.
As part of this new approach, this year the Main Stage will be sponsored by Bath West Community Energy, who said: “The Carnival is such an important event in the city’s social calendar and we love that the whole day is free for all.
“We admire the Carnival ethos of environmental sustainability – something very close to our hearts.”
If you can support Bath Carnival financially, the link to the Localgiving page is https://localgiving.org/charity/bathcarnival/.
