The Devonport Carnival is set to undergo a major shake-up with its traditional two-day schedule to be moved into a one-day program.
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The 2017 carnival, which will be the 80th edition, will now be held on Saturday, December 30, with December 29 used to showcase a proposed criterium around the streets of the city.
Devonport Athletic Club vice-president Rod Walker said the move was designed to help embrace the criterium series, which has become an integral part of the Christmas Carnival series.
“The main reason is I think it’s time the Devonport Athletic Club embraced the criteriums because we haven’t up till now,” he said.
“Because a criterium is on the first day of our carnival (at Ulverstone), it’s never been a great one because it’s been held on the morning of the 29th.
“We’ve only decided on the change for one year at this point, but unless it’s in absolute flop, I think it can be a permanent thing – we are in a changing world and we have to start moving with it.”
After rain washed out the opening day of the carnival in 2014, Walker believes the DAC committee have the framework of a schedule that can suit the one-day format.
However he admits that some current events will need to be trimmed.
“We will look at increasing the junior events, but for example we have the Mersey Wheel on the first night and then a 2000 metre handicap on the second night, and we could combine the two,” Walker said.
“The Devonport Gift and the mile will remain but the 200m and the 800m will have to be looked at to see if we can hold them as well.”