THERE will be a fair few fuzzy heads around Oxford today. Carnival weekend is the excuse many will have for being bleary-eyed in the office.

And, in the cold light of day, one thing will be overwhelmingly clear: this is the city’s greatest event.

There are rare opportunities for the community to come together in such huge numbers.

Saturday’s Fiesta in the Park went down a storm and, hopefully, will be the forerunner for a bigger bash next year.

Now let’s get the carnival back in the road. Organisation and fundraising must start today.

Tin-shaking for piecemeal change earns very little. The weekend has people’s hearts – it now needs businesses to stump up. These are desperate times for small firms.

But signs of an annual strategy for the carnival should convince East Oxford’s shopkeepers and restaurateurs that it’s worth investing.

There is no reason why the next Cowley Road Carnival can not return to its roots once and for all.