Touching on some of the National Carnival Commission’s (NNC) plans for Carnival 2023, chairman Winston “Gypsy” Peters told Newsday in an interview that traditional mas is going to get more focus as it is a major tourist attraction with people visiting specifically for the regional carnivals. There will be no new routes for bands, he said, as congestion on the roads on Carnival days is inevitable and cannot be escaped. Peters also urged people to stop denigrating Carnival as it has benefits, is the “largest temporary employer in TT” and a major boost to the economy.
The first part of the interview was published on November 16.
No new route for Carnival 2023
Each year there is discussion about the Carnival route, which has led to developments such as the Socadrome. But come next year, there will no route changes, Peters said.
“There is very little anybody in Trinidad, Tobago or anywhere else could do about the congestion on the road for Carnival in TT. We will do as much as we can – you will never escape congestion.”
He said the roads were largely the same as when his great-grandmother played mas about 100 years ago, and these roads now have “18-, 20- and 30-wheeler trucks” with bands.
The number of people playing mas is also larger now.
While there is not much else it can do about congestion, the NCC has built a larger stage at the Queen’s Park Savannah, as well as supporting the Socadrome.
It would continue to do what it could, but “inevitably it is going to end up with congestion,” he said.
He added this would continue until the country had a dedicated place for Carnival, like a Carnival city – the NCC would love that, but Peters asked where it would be placed, as certain sites would lead to complaints. People would continue to talk about changing the route, he said, but not everyone likes Carnival, and some might find fault with it.
“We are in a catch-22 position in this whole thing, and it is not in the NCC’s purview to say we need a Carnival city. That is something that has to be negotiated with the Government.”
The only place he thinks has the space to build a Carnival city is south Trinidad. Peters said former prime minister Basdeo Panday had plans to do that when he was a junior minister in the Panday administration.
The idea was to construct it on lands in Caroni, an idea given to the administration by Machel Montano’s father, Winston Montano.
Peters believes people would have complained about this, as TT is a “funny country” and everything has to be considered, whether religion, race or politics.
Return of the North Stand
One major development for 2023 is the return of the North Stand. Peters said people have been clamouring for it. It was removed in 2018 because it was said not to be economically viable.
“The epicentre of Carnival is the Savannah. Any innovation we have to make has to be done there to bring people there. It has to be done in a way it can be monetised.
“We also have to understand not everything that you do there would be monetised. There are things you have
