The always-colourful Carifiesta parade has been cancelled this year due to a legal battle between promoters, the city of Montreal announced Friday.
Organizers from the Caribbean Cultural Festivities Association say they have the legal right to promote the 36-year-old parade, as they have done the last 20 years, but the Montreal Carnival Development Foundation said it had the right to promote it as well.
The issue will be brought to court and is expected to be resolved by June, too late to begin organizing the parade which is usually held on the first weekend of July.
Henri Antoine of the Montreal Carnival Development Foundation said the action was necessary, even if this year's parade would be halted.
"It's going to be something that is sadly and definitely missed," he said. "But at the end of that, we will know who will run (this parade) and who will not."
Everette Blaize of the Caribbean Cultural Festivities Association said he was disappointed.
"I think it's something that could have been avoided," said Blaize.
While the city had hoped the two groups could work together, that proved to be impossible said Mary Deros, executive committee member for the city of Montreal.
"They were not able to resolve their differences and work together - the two promoters as one, for the better of the community. It took them all of last year and still couldn't come to terms," said Deross.
In 2006 organizers locked horns with city officials about where an after-parade party would be held.
The year before, one man was stabbed and 26 people were arrested.
However in the last four years, the parade has ran smoothly and was well attended despite rain during the 2009 even.
The city agreed in recent years to provide $30,000 in funding for the parade.
The promotion hiccup began last year, when the Montreal Carnival Development Foundation applied to run a second Caribbean-themed parade, Carifiesta.
The city decided the two organizing committees should work together on a single event, which neither party agreed on.
"The city can't choose. The city can't take sides," said Antoine.
Members of the Caribbean Cultural Festivities Association thought sharing the organization was unreasonable.
"They want us to work with another organization and we don't see any need for it," said Blaize.
"The Caribbean Cultural Festivities Association is the one that's been legal, and running it for the past 20 years," Blaize said. "For us, it doesn't make sense to talk with something that was created last year."
