Carnival stakeholders are ready for Carnival 2023 with some having started preparations well before the National Carnival Commission (NCC) posted a photo teasing the full return of Carnival celebrations on Friday.
Rosalind Gabriel, president of the TT Carnival Bands Association (TTCBA), said her members were anxious to create again, especially after producing king and queen costumes for A Taste of Carnival this year.
They were so anxious in fact, that just one week after A Taste of Carnival, the board met to discuss Carnival 2023. She said in July 2021 the TTCBA started making plans and writing proposals in case there was a 2022 Carnival. So the board just had to make some adjustments and put those plans in place for 2023.
On Saturday, the organisation met and worked out the dates of all mas competitions to take to the NCC on Monday. She said it was important to create a Carnival calendar as early as possible so people of the Caribbean diaspora, as well as foreigners, could have the time to make arrangements to visit TT for Carnival.
“We are very excited but very aware of the pandemic. I have not come across one hesitant person. So we will plan and monitor the situation and the public health guidelines. It’s better to be prepared than to be caught unawares.
“If later down, we have to modify, we will do so. But right now we’re planning for a full-scale Carnival as the pandemic seems to be subsiding in terms of deaths and new cases per day. We ready! We ready! We ready!”
She said during The Taste of Carnival, the individual mas players obeyed all protocols. Also, for 2020 Carnival, some masqueraders wore masks. So she was confident that the bands would “be sensible” and masqueraders would observe the protocols in place for 2023 Carnival.
She noted that Tribe Carnival band had a pop-up registration in the first week of March which sold out in a few hours even though people had not seen the costumes. Such a reaction underscored the excitement of both the bands and the masqueraders for a full-fledged Carnival.
Jerome "Rome" Precilla, president of the TT Promoters' Association (TTPA), said his organisation was already in “full Carnival preparation mode” and had started putting things in place for Carnival 2023 well before the NCC’s post.
“We have a calendar of events ready for 2023. People have already started booking their venues, people have already started booking trucks for mas and J’Ouvert on the road, the Carnival bands have already started designing their costumes and ordering materials for band launches. Things are being prepared. The ball has already started rolling for Carnival 2023.”
He said his members have noted events, including sports, concerts and parties, taking place around the world and slowly going back to normal.
“We realise whatever happens out there eventually happens here after some time. So with about a year to Carnival, we predict that we should be able to have a normal Carnival.”
He said people would be “euphoric to come out” after missing Carnival for two years and be
