WACKY races, solar-powered vehicles and weird and wonderful machines could fill the streets of East Oxford for next year’s Cowley Road Carnival.

Organisers of the carnival — Oxfordshire’s biggest free public event — have announced that the theme for the giant street party is set to be ‘invention’.

They also announced that the carnival will take place over the weekend of Saturday, July 3, and Sunday, July 4. It means for the first time that the event would be split over two days to allow events to take place on the road and in nearby South Park.

Organiser Danielle Battigelli said: “Next year there will be a focus on all things science, so we have proposed a theme of invention.

“That could encompass science in all sorts of ways and will open up all sorts of ideas for things in the procession.

“It could involve defying gravity, or machines of all different kinds.”

Last year, the carnival moved into South Park due to a lack of funding. The move was opposed by some traders, who set up a smaller fringe event in the road.

East Oxford Action Charity, which organises the event, has appealed for businesses to cough up between £250 and £300 each to help pay for the carnival to return to the road.

Two meetings were held with traders on Wednesday.

Organisers said they planned to hold an evening event in the road on the Saturday, including a procession, followed by breakfast time activities in Cowley Road on Sunday morning, with another event in South Park later in the day, including children’s groups.

Last year’s event cost about £60,000 to organise and attracted 30,000 people. In previous years it has cost in excess of £100,000.

But the proposal to split it over two locations received a mixed reaction.

Jan Anderson, who runs Hi-Lo Jamaican Eating House, said: “It’s going to be so bizarre.

“I am prepared to put a lot of time and effort in volunteering to help this carnival, but only if it is a proper street carnival in Cowley Road, not split.”

She said she would be prepared to open up her toilet facilities to revellers to save paying for portable toilets, and to pledge to clean the area in front of her restaurant to cut down on the street cleaning bill — a promise which was echoed by Fratellis and Atomic Burger owners Martin Bunce and James Reilly.

Mr Reilly said: “If you split it over two days, you will split the customer base.

“It is not about making money, it is totally about the community.”

Mr Bunce added: “To have a carnival on the Cowley Road is a great thing. How that gets financed is a different issue and one that needs to be looked at.

“But I don’t want to get involved in something that will be three hours on the street and maybe breakfast on Sunday, it sounds too complicated.”

Paul Wolf, chairman East Oxford Action Charity, said: “With the right amount of engagement and support from the community, carnival will continue to flourish in the most vibrant way possible.”