tidings
Janelle De Souza
National Carnival Commission (NCC) chairman Winston “Gypsy” Peters said not having Carnival for two years hurt the people of TT, but they “stayed the course” and now appreciate it more.
Speaking at the launch of Carnival 2023 at Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain, on Saturday night, he said it would be the mother of all carnivals because it would be a “magnificent festival” of events and activities, a world-class showcase . of creativity and culture, and a fun of identity and expression.
“Not having a traditional carnival for the past two years has opened our eyes to new opportunities to grow our festival and indeed, to grow the industry that is Carnival. It has fueled our ambition to re-birth and re-brand Carnival, stronger, more resilient and more adaptable.”
He said the NCC aimed to work more closely with the regional Carnival committees and called on anyone who wanted to support the organization for the 2023 Carnival to partner with it to help it achieve more.
He added that it was TT’s biggest export and a major foreign exchange earner.
“Always remember that our Carnivals are a product of the people, it is for the people, it is from the people. It is one of our greatest gifts to the world and it is our responsibility to work hard to protect, preserve and promote it for the future.”
Randall Mitchell, Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, agreed that the Carnival was a big money maker for the country. Using the example of the recently concluded Tobago Carnival, he said 20,000 people from Trinidad visited the island and there were two flights from New York carrying 277 people. He said if each person spent about $3,000, $60 million was spent in Tobago for the carnival.
“Carnivals are more than just our cultural expression. It’s a way for us to maximize the economy.”
He said both hotels and bandstands were almost fully booked for TT Carnival 2023. He said there would be new initiatives like park and ride, e-ticketing, return of the north stand and free WiFi in the grand stand. Also, the KKK was already in talks with the security forces, so he expected it to be one of the safest carnivals.
He said the spirit of Carnaval could never be cancelled, which is why, over the past two years, Carnival practitioners have found ways to connect with it with virtual shows and, in 2022, A Taste of Carnaval.
“It paved the way for the reopening of the events sector and paved the way for what we are doing here today – launching Carnival 2023, the mother of all Carnivals.”
He added that the NCC will release more details of new projects and developments in the coming weeks.
The launch event, which started two hours late, was also a carnival spectacle with performances from up-and-coming singers such as Zaden Darius who sang Soca’s Too Young, and established artists such as Terri Lyons, Aaron Duncan, Michael “Sugar Aloes” Osouna and Joshua “D Pan Man” Regrello.
There were also performances from Republika Banka’s Exodus Steel Orchestra, Bunji Garlin and the Asylum Vikings, Shal Marshall and numerous traditional characters.
