UPDATED:

"It has been the toughest decision in our lifetime to postpone an event which means so much to so many, we will be sorry that we will not see all the familiar faces and characters, we will all miss the laughter, the tears, the tantrums but most of all the whole carnival family. "

All the local carnivals, including the one in Glastonbury have been postponed until 2021.

Saying "It is with much sadness" the Glastonbury Chilkwell Guy Fawkes Carnival Committee put out the following statement:

"Due to the current and ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, our committee has made the decision to postpone the 2020 Glastonbury Carnival, until 2021.

This may seem like a very early decision given that our event does not run until November, however, the fundraising, planning and building of the amazing carts goes on all year round.

Due to the social distancing, restrictions and cancellations of events all through this summer, it has been impossible for clubs and our committee to carry out any fundraising. Please understand that the whole carnival runs on fundraising and donations and is organised completely by teams of volunteers.

This is not a decision that anyone within the carnival family would choose to make if there were any other options.

Thank you to everyone that continues to support our carnival throughout the years. Please rest assured that we will be using this time behind the scenes to plan and create a bigger and better show for next year on 20th November 2021.

Whilst we appreciate the County Carnival Committee are waiting for other towns to respond to emails, and as we do appreciate this, some may or may not agree with the timing of our statement.

A further press release will follow on behalf of the Somerset County Guy Fawkes Carnival Association in the next 7 days. Thank you for your understanding."

Glastonbury's carnival is run by the same group which runs all the local carnivals, one of the highlights of the year and a unique Somerset tradition.

The carnival circuit is : Bridgwater, Highbridge and Burnham on Sea, Weston Super Mare, North Petherton, Shepton Mallet, Wells and then Glastonbury.

It has been estimated that every year, more than 150,000 people visit the Bridgwater Carnival, believed to be the largest illuminated carnival in the world.

Overall the seven Somerset carnivals are estimated to bring just under £40 million into the county's economy and raise in excess of £150,000 for local causes.