Manchester Caribbean Carnival

The Manchester Caribbean Carnival has been held annually in Alexandra Park, Manchester, since 1971. The Moss Side area was, at that time, home to many recent immigrants from Caribbean countries.

The first carnival was held on 31 May 1971. The different Caribbean islands had floats and flew their flags, and the police band, an Irish band, a Scottish band, and many local white community groups joined them. The parade went from the park and around the city centre.

More recently, the carnival was held in August in recognition of Emancipation Day.^[1] The 50th carnival, in 2022, celebrated 60 years of Jamaican independence.^[2]

Manchester City Council is the primary funder of the carnival. There have been issues around the financial management of the event.^[3]

The event often attracts gangs and criminality, which several incidents and murders of note over the years. It is police-resource intensive, and Greater Manchester Police have faced criticism after being accused of using “deeply racist” tactics. In 2022 after it issued a number of letters banning dozens of people from a Caribbean carnival event because they had been identified as “either a member of a street gang, affiliated to a street gang” or “perceived by others to be associated to a street gang”.

In 2023, a 17-year-old boy was arrested on Claremont Road for possession of an offensive weapon and suspected assault of an emergency worker and possession of a class B drug. Nearby Alexandra Park, a 31-year-old man was arrested for possessing multiple offensive weapons and a class B drug.

Two rival gangs clashed on 15 August 2022 following the Caribbean Carnival, Manchester Crown Court heard. Mikyle Bucknor and Karmarni Batler were jailed on Tuesday for attempted murder and Harlan Richards was imprisoned for possession of a firearm.The violence led to the death of Javell Morgan, 20, and two people have been jailed separately for his murder.The two rival groups travelled from Huddersfield to Moss Side in Manchester ahead of the incident, according to police.

In 2018, 12 people, including a 12-year-old girl, were injured when shots were fired at a street party following the carnival.

Moss Side itself where the carnival is held in Manchester, has a history of gang violence. On 21st June 2020 approximately 00:55am, two males were shot and received fatal injuries; Abayomi Hendewe Ajose (36 years) and Cheriff Muhammed Habib Tall (21 years). The carnival had been cancelled that year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but at the time of the shooting, a large crowd of 300-400 people were present having an unofficial street party.

• Official website