Leicester Caribbean Carnival to move to city centre

Last year's carnival saw a procession 1,600 take to the street of Leicester

Organisers of Leicester's Caribbean Carnival have said they hope moving the annual event to the city centre will attract more sponsorship.

The festival went ahead in 2010 despite failing to meet the necessary £200,000 to host the event in Victoria Park.

However, organisers said they hoped relocating the event would encourage more investment from local businesses.

Up to 100,000 people attend the community event each year, one of the biggest of its kind in the UK.

Proposed changes would see stalls and staged entertainment centred around the Humberstone Gate area, while the parade would continue to take place through the city centre.

The carnival receives money from Leicester City Council and the Arts Council, with additional support from organisers' own fundraising.

The event was cancelled in 2006 due to insufficient funding.

Carnival committee chair Dennis "Sugar" Christopher said the organisers' ultimate aim was to become self-sufficient.

"If the businesses in the city are not coming to the carnival on the park, bring the carnival to the business in the city," he said.

The city council said exact location details are yet to be confirmed, but it would be holding discussions with the emergency services and various departments across the authority.

The carnival, which started running 26 years ago, is set to take place on Saturday, 6 August.