Portland Carnival organisers are scrapping plans to revive the extravaganza in 2012 year after a break of more than 20 years.

It had been planned to bring back the event next summer during the year of the Olympic and Paralympic sailing events but it has been postponed until 2013.

Committee members have blamed too little organisational time and a lack of manpower due to other projects being organised in the borough to coincide with the home Games and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee.

Portland Carnival Committee chairman David Symes said: “Portland Carnival Committee are committed to providing a carnival that we can be proud of.

“We’ve made the decision to delay the event until 2013.

“We’ve just got to be realistic, we want to put on something the island really deserves but we left ourselves too short a time to do it.

“A lot of people who would normally be committed and able to help are involved in other projects for 2012.

“We don’t want to do something half-hearted, the postponement will give us more time to organise, get people and local partners on board, making it bigger and better than the 2012 carnival.”

Portland Town Councillor Symes, who represents the Tophill East ward, added: “2012 is such a busy year already with national and international events, we didn’t want to compete with that.

“Hopefully more people will be able to get involved in creating something unique for 2013. We welcome anyone with experience, time or skills to join us in January, 2012 when we resume.”

Islanders had celebrated a comeback of the event, which was set to be held from July 7-14 next year, starting with the Big Grove Summer Festival and many say they are ‘disappointed’ by the postponement.

Sarah Whiteside, organiser of the festival, said she had to leave the carnival committee due to too many other commitments – including her son Lucas’s return to school after ill-health, her oldest son James’s partner expecting a baby, her own business and festival organisation.

She said: “It’s a shame. I can understand why it might have seemed daunting and rather than competing with everything else they might have thought it better to postpone it.

“Fingers crossed it actually happens. The concern is that if they don’t keep the momentum going people won’t bother. The Grove team have always wanted to collaborate with them.”

Sandy Cave, trustee chairman of the Open Arms in Easton Square, said: “I wasn’t able to get involved with the meetings because my husband and I do a drama group for disabled children on that night.

“But it is upsetting it won’t be going ahead in the Olympic year.”