A summer samba celebration is calling on supporters to dig deep to raise the last £3,000 it needs to go ahead next month.

Kemp Town Carnival organisers have launched an online fundraising campaign and donors who can give £500 to the cause will have the honour of being crowned king and queen of the carnival.

Other incentives include being named carnival patron for donors of £100 or more while VIP tickets, T-shirts, postcards and digital musical downloads are all on offer to those who donate as little as £5.

Carnival director Mat Cook said that a failure to attract any corporate sponsorship had forced them to turn to online crowd-funding web site Kickstarter to raise the necessary funds.

Mr Cook said organisers missed the deadline for most firms’ fundraising budget in September and October because they were busy with a consultation process for when this year’s event would be held.

Local traders had suggested the event should be moved to a bank holiday Monday but it remains on its traditional Saturday date.

Fundraising gigs in the months before the carnival and bookings for market stalls have already raised more than expected towards the event’s £48,000 cost.

The amount includes £10,000 of debts from last year’s event and the additional cost of extra security and more toilets.

The fundraiser closes on June 5 – just 48 hours before the Brighton street carnival is scheduled to go ahead.

This year’s carnival will have a brand new children’s parade, an additional fifth stage of music performers as well as the usual eclectic mix of markets stalls, circus skills, street theatre, breakdancing, the grand custard pie fight, Morris dancers and much more.

Mr Cook said: “Obviously it’s a bit of a challenge but I think we can do it. We were on the back foot because in September through to November when people set their sponsor budgets we were doing a lot of community engagement and consultation.

“We have had a lot of success with fundraising this year but the corporate sponsorship was a big blow.

“We are also taking to the streets and shaking buckets to reach the £48,000 we need to break even.”

To donate visit www.kickstarter. com/projects/612486124/kemp-town-carnival-2014.

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