Re-Cap of Carnival 2014
The National Carnival Commission wants to thank the national community of Trinidad and Tobago for the various contributions and comments about the direction and development of the Carnival product and industry.
Trinidad and Tobago Carnival is a collaborative effort – the perfect nexus where the private and public sectors meet along with national security forces, leaders of the pan, mas and calypso fraternities,all working together with one goal - a successful Carnival.
The NCC, as the custodian of this national festival continues to work diligently to ensure that pan, calypso and mas continue to be supported and enhanced for the development and evolution of thisfestival. The NCC has a vision of making Carnival more organised, more attractive, interesting and engaging for the local and international stakeholder, participants and spectators. The tools the Commission hopes to employ going forward are research, consultation, planning and implementation.
We have been heartened by the comments that we’ve had from international media who we’ve invited to experience Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival – we’ve already had the journalist attached to the Wall Street Journal posted an 1100 word article which provides a whirlwind wrap up of the history, the excitement and the amazing magnetic pull of this festival and this has been circulated to the magazine’s 1,000,000 readers.
The NCC under the direction of Chairman Allison Demas, is not just focusing on Carnival the event — but also looking at the bigger picture and a longer term view of developing the product and the industry. In the past the focus for the NCC has always been on basically putting up and pulling down infrastructure for Carnival the festival, but the NCC with the last year of internal review and strategic planning has begun to transform their responsibility in a holistic manner.
As more and more persons make the journey to Trinidad and Tobago for the Carnival season, we are seeing the necessity of a movement in our thinking - we must now take stock of the Carnival product as much more, now it needs to be considered an industry. There are some easy areas that come to mind - mas, pan, calypso, soca, chutney, certainly we can see how these areas earn revenue. But in fact when you look at Carnival you will see that Carnival crosses a number of sectors. We can look at the impact on our tourism sector — look at our hotel accommodation and the length of visitor stays, look at the number of flights coming in, look at the spin-offs in terms of taxi and tour operator services, food and beverage at restaurants and eateries, shopping, and the small entrepreneurs and arts and crafts vendors. We look at the banking sector and how many loans are taken during Carnival for persons to buy costumes. We are excited about the possibilities that there are for the development of this incredible festival.Preliminary results showcase that even among hotels outside of Port of Spain, hotel occupancy increased during the week before Carnival from 70% to 90%.
Dr.Vanus James has been applying a scientific assessment and review of the contribution of Carnival to the Gross Domestic Product, further supporting the movement of Carnival from an event to an industry. We look forward to his results.
The NCC believes that Carnival has yet to reach its full potential as a major revenue earner. NCC’s CEO Mr. Michael Guyadeen expressed confidence that now is the time and this is the opportunity to develop Carnival. “For 2014, we have investing heavily in Carnival entrepreneurs in our efforts to make and create a sustainable Carnival industry. In line with our mandate as the governing body for the development, management and coordination of the festival, we will be seeking to improve our positioning of Carnival to increase its income potential via branding, advertising and streaming of our regional Carnivals and products. We are proud to have secured the investors in our national heritage. Thank you Blink/bMobile, Play Whe, the Tourism Development Company, Petrotrin, Caribbean Airlines, Coca Cola, White Oak and Proudfoot Communications Limited – we look forward to their continued support.”
COMMUNITY CARNIVALS
For 2014, closer attention has been paid to community Carnivals. From a historical perspective, were it not for the Camboulay Riots in the late 19th century, there would be no Jabmalassie or Midnight Robber today – these well-loved characters form a valuable part of our deep-rooted tradition. In fact the Kambule – Street Pageant and the Stick fighting finals drew some of the larger crowds for Carnival 2014. This year the NCC supported 53 communities in Trinidad and Tobago hosting individual Carnival celebrations, each one being heralded as the centre of Carnival art, culture and heritage – these community Carnivals and traditional elements hold thekey to the continued development and evolution of Carnival.
The Carnival Village at the Queens Park Savannah was a family friendly Carnival space, open from February 7th – March 7th. Thousands of school children and teachers experienced daytime activities such as sailor dance, steelpan tutorials, wire-bending and costume making. In the evening, food and craft were available for sale as the stage comes alive with a variety of cultural performances from the many of our nation’s most engaging performers.
The NCC also partnered with various stakeholders to present some new events and activities designed to further stimulate the carnival industry. These include a Carnival Visual Arts Exhibition, organised and curated by the Art Society of Trinidad and Tobago and a Carnival Film Festival Series, co-produced by the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival. This year, the Carnival Film Festival Series featured three short films: a ten minute film on stickfighters and two five-minute films on Jabs and Whip Mas and Bull Mas.
NCC SIGNATURE EVENTS
BIG FRIDAY
This event certainly showcased the grandeur of our costumes. Managed by the National Carnival Bands Association , the event provided big costumes, big performances and big entertainment the evening went off very well with the Kings and Queens in their own show and colour; creativity and talent were all on full display.
PAN
The Pan is certainly still alive and kicking. Pan Trinbago delivered Panorama semis and finals which saw tremendous crowds gathered in both the north and grand stands of the Queen’s Park Savannah. We’re proud to give our national instrument a place and a space in the Carnival festival.
DIMANCHE GRAS
In what must can be seen as a great nod to tradition, the NCC and TUCO spearheaded the return of the Calypso bards to the “Big Stage” at the Queen’s Park Savannah for Dimanche Gras where one Roderick Gordon “ Chucky” was crowned Calypso Monarch of the World.The tremendous crowds in the grand stands showed their support for the show which celebrated the 100years of Vocal Calypso Recording. The Show in its presentation, attention to the traditions of Trinidad and Tobago and its respect of time showed us what the Dimanche Gras Show could be. The excitement, the competitive spirit, the witty music and the double entendre were indeed highpoints of Carnival 2014.
PARADE ROUTE
Though firmly committed to tradition, the NCC has showcased some new approaches for 2014 and beyond. The Carnival parade route in Port-of-Spain, for example, has been given priority for development. The Commission has engaged the services of Transport and Traffic Engineer, Dr.Rae Furlonge, in collaboration with the National Carnival Bandleaders Association, will study the problems and analyze the possibilities for an improved route for masqueraders. With small adjustments attempted for 2014, for example the extension of the route to involve the Socadrome, it is anticipated that the research information gleaned over the main parade days would provide factual and scientific information.The Socadrome, as a private sector initiative fulfilled its intent of reducing the level of congestion on the route to the main Queen’s Park Savannah stage.
The mechanics and logistics of the ever expanding Carnival festival requires continuous attention and planning. We continue to work with all interested parties, such as the Mayor of Port of Spain and other critical stakeholders towards ensuring that all persons who earn a livelihood from Carnival are allowed to continue. The NCC is zealous about getting the planning and coordination of Carnival right.
As we move forward the NCC has specific consultations planned. From our citizens here and abroad, through the traditional media and the social media, we look forward to feedback and comments as these help us todevelop and better serve Trinidad and Tobago.
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