Stakeholders Press Pause On Carnival
There will be no physical Carnival staged in Tobago on Carnival Monday and Tuesday 2022.
This agreement was made collaboratively among the Division of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation, Tobago Festivals Commission Ltd and other Carnival stakeholders on Monday (January 31) following a series of consultations among the relevant stakeholders.
“The consultative approach was definitely a good one. We were able to sit down [and] talk things through. At the end, the stakeholders themselves made the suggestion to use this time to recalibrate, restructure, and increase our capacity-building,” CEO of the Tobago Festivals Commission Ltd. John Arnold said.
Arnold said the decision was made to focus on Carnival in 2023 and, if possible, towards planning Carnival in Tobago for October 2022.
He indicated that a committee will be formed to work in collaboration with the Festivals Commission.
Arnold said that stakeholders had to be involved to successfully execute Carnival in Tobago. The consultations were held with various stakeholders including representatives of Trinbago Unified Calypsonians’ Organisation (TUCO) and the Tobago Band Leaders Association. He said managing overarching factors, such as COVID-19 protocols, will play a part in any planning.
“One of the contributions of the stakeholders was that a very low number of their membership is vaccinated,” Arnold said.
Arnold, who was speaking on the Tobago Updates morning show (February 2nd) said the Commission was considering online activities that are a reflection of Carnival.
