Tobago Carnival Momentum Builds At Crown Point Street Festival
Mas bands in Tobago are using Crown Point’s monthly Art and Street Festival to entice visitors to return for Tobago Carnival in October.
The event forms part of several marketing initiatives aimed at making the fifth edition of Tobago Carnival the biggest and most successful yet.
With traffic restricted along the main street in Crown Point, the area came alive with the sounds of steelpan music, which surprised many visitors, including Debra Davis, who was visiting the island.
« We just came by chance, because we know Bago always have something, and this is what we met. And we quite satisfied with it. »
The Crown Point Art and Street Festival is a monthly initiative organised by the Bago Limers Mas Camp in conjunction with the Tobago October Carnival Association (TOCA).
According to Bago Limers Planning Committee Member Petra Beckles, the event is designed to showcase Tobago’s culture while building excitement ahead of Carnival.
« Where we have the cultural events such as pan and persons singing, that’s the artists from Tobago. »
Mas bands are also invited to showcase their offerings for Tobago Carnival.
One of the bands on display Saturday night was LUXORA Mas, a new entrant to the festival scene.
Co-band leader Cindy Cupid-Dick said the band is participating in both the mas and J’ouvert celebrations while also introducing a mud mas experience called ‘Mud and Bay’.
« It’s mud infused with bay leaf, so you know it’s a cleansing ritual. So Tobagonians are used to bay leaf, so it is something that we thought about long and hard, and we wanted to bring that aspect to Tobago. »
Fellow band leader Nkosi Dick said the band hopes to preserve the tradition of mud mas while introducing a more elevated experience.
Despite being a new band, he said the early response has been encouraging.
« The response has been positive thus far. We hope that things do pick up a bit more in terms of registration and these kinds of things, but it is expected. It is a new band, it is a product that has not been proven. »
Meanwhile, bands such as Bago Limers are expanding their Carnival offerings this year.
Ms Beckles said, « Before it was just the J’ouvert alone, but this time we are having both the J’ouvert, the pretty mas. »
Among the displays of mas bands, steelpan and local entertainment at the festival were Tobago artists, including Maxadap, getting into the spirit of Carnival.
« It have real artists here right now that watching what going on and we love the vibes. Trust you, me, full 100 support. »
For many visitors, the festival is already building excitement ahead of Tobago Carnival, which takes place from October 30th to November 1st.
