Douglas councillors support spending 20k on carnival return

The parade is due to be held on a shortened route along Loch Promenade

A carnival will be held in the Isle of Man's capital for the first time in three years after the town's local authority agreed to fund its return.

Douglas Council voted in favour of using £20,000 from reserves to hold the parade on the promenade on July 23.

It will run along a shorter route than previous carnivals, which had been held along the entire seafront.

Councillor Ian Clague said it had been curtailed due to concerns about a lack of attendance beyond the high street.

Under the revised route, carnival participants would start off from Bottleneck Car Park, before processing along Loch Promenade, although the exact details of the route have yet to be agreed.

The event had also been moved from Sunday to Saturday in order to "maximise the economic benefit" to the town, a council report said.

'Best compromise'

Speaking at the council's April meeting, executive committee member Mr Clague said, unlike previous years, there was no longer the "volume of visitors" to use the full length of the seafront.

He said the 2022 event "could not be compared to what we used to have" and the shortened route was "the best compromise".

Councillor Stephen Pitts questioned the value of the shorter route to the town's economy.

However, Councillor Stephen Crellin argued crowds had dwindled as the parade reached the Broadway area during previous events.

"The town needed something to lift spirits after the last two years," he added.

Councillor Andrew Bentley said Loch Promenade was a "better place" for the carnival due to the number of pubs and bars in the area, and a later start time for the event could make it become "the start of someone's night out".