Edinburgh Festival Carnival to return using £132,000 of Visitor Levy funds
The funds will go towards Edinburgh’s Festival Carnival and Mardi Gras events
Edinburgh’s Festival Carnival and Mardi Gras will return to the streets this summer after receiving a £132,000 cash injection from the city's Visitor Levy.
The funding, approved by councillors on Monday, will allow the Carnival to run for the first time since 2023, while Mardi Gras will stay open for an extra hour at the Grassmarket.
The Carnival’s parade will start on Market Street, proceed down the Mound and run on the westbound side of Princes Street before doubling back and entering West Princes Street Gardens.
Both events are part of the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues festival.
The Mardi Gras event was not held in 2025 over funding issues, but with £12k from the funds it will be able to run from 1pm to 5pm on July 18.
The remaining funds will go towards the Carnival, which will take place on July 19.
Of the sum, £46k will go towards council costs, £25k to security and hostile vehicle management, and the remainder to other areas including band fees and paying an event manager.
A report before councillors at the Culture and Communities meeting stated that between 15,000 and 20,000 spectators were expected along the parade route, while 5,000 more attendees were expected to visit the Gardens on the day.
It added that up to 1,500 performers from around the world would take part, including a large number of Edinburgh-based acts.
At the meeting, councillors approved the funding.
Green councillor Alys Mumford asked about the optics of using visitor levy funding for the events early in the programme’s life, given that the council had made an effort to show it would benefit the whole city.
A council officer replied that the only way to effectively fund it this year would be through using the funds, and that it would be an ‘initial exception’ to that goal due to an earlier ask by councillors in the same committee to expand the events this year.
Culture and communities convener and Labour councillor Margaret Graham said: “I will have to say this is one of the most pleasing reports I’m putting forward.
“I’m over the moon. I think traditionally it was one of the most important community events that was linked to the festival over many many years.
“I’m very proud of the fact that this committee has decided it is a good idea to spend some of the visitor levy money on something everyone can enjoy.”