Melksham Carnival will be back with a bang in 2024 after this year's celebrations were called off, leaving thousands disappointed.

The popular celebration is one of the highlights of the town's calendar, but organisers have not had an easy ride in the last few years.

After taking two years off due to the Covid-19 pandemic the carnival returned to Melksham’s streets in 2022.

But fundraising struggles and a lack of volunteers meant that the 2023 celebration was unable to go ahead.

“The town lined the streets in their thousands to see us in 2022, but when the time came to plan the 2023 event, we had unfortunately lost some core committee members for personal reasons leaving only myself and one other full team member,” explained carnival organiser Michelle Brightwell.

“So we had to make the difficult decision to hold off by a year to recruit more help, raise additional funds and make sure we were in a position to do a carnival that would do the community justice.”

The cancelled carnival was a huge disappointment for Melksham locals, particularly after the success of the 2022 event which saw thousands lining the streets.

“But the good news is we have now increased the number of volunteers we have by more than double,” said Michelle.

“The carnival has clearly been missed, which has encouraged people to join us and help us be stronger as a team."

The organiser is thrilled to announce that next year Melksham Carnival will take place on Saturday, July 13, 2024, and all local acts are encouraged to get involved.

“We encourage every aspect of fun and talent that our town and the surrounding areas wish to share and we love that we have acts come back each year wanting to be part of this event time after time," emphasised Michelle.

“Whether you’re walking, dancing, unicycling, backflipping, driving an unusual vehicle or a decorated wheelchair - everyone is welcome to join us, and we really hope everyone knows that no matter how small their entry might be, we want to see it."

Previous entrants have included family floats, 4 Stars Dance Group, Meads Motors, Melksham Lions Club, Dolphin Marching Band, Phoenix Twirlstars and Melksham's chosen royalty.

Locals are being encouraged to follow the carnival Facebook page to keep up to date with all the latest developments and plans.