MANCHESTER'S carnival season could start with a courtroom battle.
Earlier this year, representatives from the city's Caribbean associations decided to set up an alternative to the annual carnival held in Moss Side.
The new Caribbean Carnival of Manchester (CCOM), to be held on August 14, immediately won financial backing from Manchester council.
But organisers of the established annual event, Manchester International Caribbean Carnival (MICC), are threatening to mount a legal challenge to stop their rivals using the word "carnival".
They have also confirmed that they will be pressing ahead with their event on July 24.
Anthony Brown, of MICC, said the council is trying to "divide and rule" the black community by backing CCOM.
But Terry Brandy, of CCOM, said: "The MICC has used the airwaves for the past two months to undermine the work we have been doing in the community. People have even been put off from putting up posters because they fear they will be ripped down.
"MICC has a grievance with the city council that is not of our making and we don't want to be part of it." Mr Brown said: "MICC are putting forward a legal challenge against calling the other event a carnival. Under the Trades Descriptions Act they can't pass off the event as carnival.
"The city council has asked Ear to the Ground, who organised Manchester Pride, to organise the new carnival behind the backs of the existing carnival committee.
"The existing carnival is about our history, identity and culture. It's been going for 34 years."
Nadine Andrew, a director of Ear to the Ground, said: "All the council wants is for the carnival to be a quality event because in the past it's been a failing event. It's a ridiculous state of affairs to have two carnivals, but people will pick one to back for the future once the dust settles."
Battle of the carnivals
July 16, 2004
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Showing comments 1 to 5 and replies | View All
Nadine Andrews, Manchester (16/07/2004 at 18:40)
BOYD TAYLOR, dalton huddersfield w/yorkshire (19/07/2004 at 21:44)
no name, manchester (02/08/2004 at 17:22)
for a change it's getting quite boring
we should let the people vote who should run carnival my vote is to give City Carribbean a chance
good luck!
Lindy Critchley, Hulme, Manchester (03/11/2004 at 14:17)
R.G.Stafford, Chorlton On Medlock (27/06/2005 at 02:32)
There was a financial disaster in 1999, when no money was raised for good causes, despite income of many hundreds of thousands of Pounds.
For the following two years, the City Council was forced to take a back seat. People didn't want the Council playing a major role in the event.
Then, in 2002, a mysterious dispute between the organisers, the City Council and Police, which lead to Mardi Gras being almost cancelled.
Lo-and-behold, the next year, it is again the huge over-commercial profit-making monster which the City Council wants.
The Council brags in its literature that the 1999 event brought B#20 Million worth of business into the City. Yet, for some reason, the public still has to fund the event by buying a wristband.
Costs are spiralling each year and people may be surprised to know that, in 2003 and 2004, less than one third of the money they paid for a wristband or dropped into Operation Fundraiser buckets actually reached good causes. The rest went on costs.
When I called the City Council Tourist Information service last July, they denied all knowledge of a Caribbean Carnival taking place in July.
Unfortunately this is what the existing Caribbean Carnival is up against and I hope they fight it, because I love the event.