By Latrishka Thomas
As the curtains come down on the festivities of the 2023 Carnival season, a sense of satisfaction lingers in the hearts of both participants and onlookers. The consensus abounds – the 2023 Carnival season has been an extraordinary success, leaving a mark on all those fortunate enough to have participated.
Based on assessments from visitors and locals alike, the Carnival’s success resonated differently with each individual.
The overarching sentiment was one of exhilaration, with one participant summarising the prevailing mood with the words, “I’ve enjoyed every minute of Carnival this year.”
Someone who immersed himself fully in the festivities also shared that it was “Absolutely amazing.”
Participants, without hesitation, also testified to their revelry: “I did T-shirt mas’ and I did j’ouvert, and I had a ball,” exclaimed one reveller.
“Carnival is great this year. A lot of people are out, and it’s much bigger and better this year,” proclaimed another enthusiastic masquerader.
Constructive criticism was also given with one person saying, “T-shirt mas’ could have been better, but that’s because of the band I was in. But to be honest, it was good generally.”
“Honestly, I enjoyed it. The only thing I didn’t like was the Party Monarch on Sunday,” confessed another candid observer.
Clearly, the occasional issues were ripples in the grand ocean of high-spiritedness that defined this year’s celebrations.
Daryll Matthew, the Minister of Creative Industries also evaluated the Carnival activities and assigned them a passing grade, aligning his assessment with that which is reverberating through the streets.
“Carnival 2023 has been a success from all reports, and even from my personal observations…I am very, very satisfied,” Matthew declared with conviction.
Matthew candidly addressed a minor issue– the limited number of bands that graced the road. “Carnival with the troupes and groups… I must admit I’m a little disappointed that many of the Carnival bands were not able to come on the road, whether it is for lack of numbers or some other unknown reason,” he confessed.
He also noted the difficulties inherent in coordinating parades and street events like j’ouvert. However, he lauded the efforts of the public in ensuring the relative smoothness of the proceedings, and the limited number of incidents.
