Event-promoters invited to meet and discuss possibility of returning Carnival to entertainment calendar this year

A meeting is set for this afternoon, February 11, to discuss proposals for hosting Carnival festivities, after their absence these past two years.

The annual event, dubbed “The Caribbean’s Greatest Summer Festival,” was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the high rates of infection at the time.

The situation appears to be much better now with the less-deadly Omicron variant.

Accordingly, the newly appointed Minister of Creative Industries and Innovation, Michael Browne, has formally invited all event promoters “to a very important Town Hall meeting and consultation … at 5 p.m. at the Multipurpose Cultural and Exhibition Centre.’’

While the events planned for this year are yet to be approved, the organisers are hoping to host Panorama and both the Calypso and Party Monarch competitions, in addition to the usual fetes, the Carnival Monday and Tuesday jump-up, and T-shirt Mas.’

While it is still too early to judge, some residents are already saying this is a dangerous idea, given that the Omicron variant has spawned other variants that are still being studied.

However, many others are happy that Carnival could be back on the cards, allowing them to relieve some stress after two full years of COVID restrictions.