Barbuda’s Caribana will be held this year

Members of the Barbuda Caribana Committee will be meeting today with officials from the Antigua and Barbuda Festivals Commission to discuss a scaled-down version of the annual festival.
The festival is usually held over a five-day period culminating on Whit Monday which will be observed on May 21. After the destruction the sister island suffered last September as a result of Hurricane Irma, many were questioning whether the festival would be held this year.
During an interview yesterday with our newsroom, head of the Caribana committee, Yannick Beazer, confirmed that a festival will be held, however, the logistics and the date are yet to be finalised.
Beazer said the Barbuda Council and the committee met recently and looked at several proposals, one of which was accepted by both parties. This information will be shared with the Festivals Commission during today’s meeting.
“Because people are scattered between both islands, we discussed the possibility of scaling down the activities because we are still recovering from the storm. We decided on a weekend of activities and to bring the people together,” Beazer said.
He said after today’s meeting the committee will be able to decide the number of days of activities and where they will be held.
Beazer said while some individuals believe the festival should be cancelled, others said that the show must go on. Caribana is Barbuda’s premier festival and it has many similarities to Antigua’s Carnival.