2023 will mark 50 years of celebrating Trinidad-style carnivals here in Boston. In these five decades, there have been five management changes, managed by four people: founder Ken Bonaparte Mitchell, Sebastian Joseph, Shirley Shillingford from 1991–93, Clive Trail in 1994 and Shirley Shillingford again from 1995 to the present.
From its birth in 1973 to the late 1990s, there was considerable growth. The participation of masquerade groups increased at all levels and the size of the groups increased. The organizing committee was quite active because they were also band leaders who knew the cost and time needed to create a band worthy of being on the road on carnival day. But from 1994 until today, the leadership changed drastically. The current leadership lacks the knowledge and understanding of Boston’s Trinidadian style carnival culture to take it forward properly.
If Boston’s Trinidad-style carnival is to survive, adequate funds must be raised, and finding avenues to obtain funds falls solely to the organizing committee. Today’s group leaders don’t have the time or skills to prepare proposals and interview potential sponsors. The function of group leaders is to create masterpieces based on original ideas and present them to thousands of spectators along the parade route.
The main objective and one of the main functions of the organizing committee is to create a bridge between the leaders of the group and potential sponsors. It is their responsibility to understand each group leader’s cost needs and get them the funding they need. Gone are the days of local fundraisers and overdrawn credit cards. Today’s cost is well over $100,000 per set – far more than it was in the 90s.
Boston’s Trinidad-style carnival could return to a place where its growth potential will increase. This means bigger groups, more colorful sections and no delays or big breaks in the parade. This will also encourage more visitors to Boston, additional revenue for businesses in the community and an increase in hotel stays.
Boston’s Trinidad-style carnival was once said to be the third best carnival in North America after the Canadian and Brooklyn carnivals. It attracted about 500,000 visitors a year, with buses coming from several other states and Canada, filling Franklin Park to capacity. The only other event at the time with a larger audience was the Boston Marathon. We can return to these glory days – however, to achieve this goal, the organizing body must listen and work with the group leaders side by side.
Unfortunately, what we have all seen in the last 10-15 years is stagnation. The lack of vision and good leadership has left us unable to address the problems associated with the lack of growth, and therefore unable to put the Trinidad-style Boston Carnival back on the road to success.
It has been said that “a rising tide lifts all boats” and here in Boston, we need someone with leadership skills to provide the lift necessary to lift all boats related to the growth of Boston Carnival. This means supporting leaders of community groups, businesses, visitors, hotels and event organisers. Stagnation is so entrenched within the organizing committee that there has not been a leadership change in the last 20 years.
I visited Toronto for the first time this year to experience their annual Trinidad Carnival, and it was incredible. Amazingly, they’ve been running a carnival five to six years longer than the Boston carnival, and they also host a steel pan competition, junior carnival, and parade. All these events took place after the pandemic and due to good organization, it did not suffer a decrease in crowds after the lockdown. The city of Toronto was all set for the celebration, with plenty of advertising to let the community know about the event. This meant 100% involvement from all committee members, with everyone committed, aware and involved in the party. It was a real demonstration of leadership and a solid knowledge of the carnival and all its supporting elements. It really felt like Trinidad.
We are capable of this and may have something similar or better in Boston. It’s not a dream. Toronto is proof that leadership matters, and if we work together, much can be achieved.
Michael C. Smith is a retired engineer and photographer who has published three books on photography.
