Tuesday, May 8, 2012

First the Caribbean Carnival left Brightwood, now it's leaving DC...for Baltimore

Last year, the annual Caribbean Carnival was forced by financial problems to truncate its parade route. The shortened route bypassed Brightwood completely, moving its start point over a mile south, from the intersection of Georgia and Missouri Avenues to the 4400 block of Georgia Avenue, near the intersection of Webster Street.

The 2012 festival came very, very close to being cancelled altogether due to ongoing debt issues. The festival organizers have since found a solution, but unfortunately it involves taking the festival out of the District altogether. According to a press release that was posted on the festival's Facebook page, the program has been "modified" this year: a Pan Jam will be held on the weekend of June 23-24 at the Crossroads Entertainment Complex in Bladensburg, Maryland, and on July 14, the DC Carnival will be held in Baltimore, having been invited by the organizers of that city's annual Caribbean festival.

Festival organizers had tried to negotiate with Mayor Gray in order to keep the event in the District, to no avail.

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