Breaking: Street carnival cancelled ‘but will be back
A city carnival call Oxford’s Cowley Road Carnival will not go ahead as planned this summer, organisers have said.
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Oxford’s Cowley Road Carnival, run by Cowley Road Works, had been set to fill the streets with music and dazzling costumes on 31 August.
Posting on the event’s Facebook page, organisers said they had made the “tough” decision in a bid to “focus on getting the foundations right: governance, staffing and securing sustainable funding” so they could throw a “bigger, better and more secure” carnival in 2026.
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The vibrant event returned to the city’s streets last year attracting thousands of people. Before that it hadn’t been held since 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a statement, its organisers said: “After delivering a successful carnival in 2024 with all its colour, energy, and unity we knew we owed it to the city to do even better going forward.
“That’s why our trustees made the tough but responsible decision to pause the event in 2025 to focus on getting the foundations right: governance, staffing and securing sustainable funding.
“This isn’t a step back though. It’s a step towards a bigger development, better and more secure 2026, organisers reassured the public.
They ended by appreciating the public with a Thank you and acknowledging them for their patience, Their passion and pride in the carnival.”
2026 we are returning big.
