With a shortfall of $53 million for Carnival 2023, the intended Mother of all Carnivals, the National Carnival Commission (NCC) says it will make do the $147 million allocated to it by the Government.
NCC chairman Winston “Gypsy” Peters admitted yesterday that he believes a successful Carnival event would cost $200 million but was grateful for what he received.
In a telephone interview, Peters said, “No, it is never enough. We wish that we could get more but that’s what we got and that’s what we have to work with and we are going to do the best that we can to make sure that everything works well and works within the parameters of what we have.”
He said while the budget looked big, it should be seen be seen in the context of an investment which will bring returns.
“Any Carnival in T&T that would have to put on without owing would be $200 million, and when people hear you talk about $200 million, $147 million, they always look at it as a lot of money that is being spent on Carnival and there are a lot of people who misconstrue what Carnival is all about. Carnival to us is not just wine and jam, it is an investment. The Government invests that money in Carnival and the profit margin on Carnival is a very high one, so it is not wasted money and the money that we spend on Carnival goes right back into the pockets of Trinidadians and Tobagonians in the shortest possible time for the work that they do,” Peters said.
“So, I don’t want people to feel that they are asking for $200 million to have Carnival, you know how we think, without even looking at the benefits that Carnival brings and the amount of money that you are going to get back.”
He added, “The $200 million that we spend on Carnival, not one cent goes out of Trinidad and Tobago, because we can’t spend our money nowhere else, but what happens is that the money that we spend, the investment that the Government makes in Carnival sustains a lot of people in this country on a short-term basis and on a long-term basis.”
Peters said the foreign exchange that comes in during the festivities were a big boost to the economy. He said T&T is still planning for the much-touted “Mother of all Carnivals” and hopes because Carnival is an economic stimulus, it will be promoted more than before.
“The more we promote Carnival and the better we have it, the better for us in the long term. We have to retain our space as the best Carnival in the world,” Peters said.
“All the plans that we have for Carnival are special, because we don’t do it for any other time of the year. So, every single plan that we have for Carnival is a special one because Carnival is a very special event and it is a very special event for Trinidadians and Tobagonians.”
In light of this, Peters is trying to ensure that all the infrastructure necessary of the festivities are completed well on time so that the NCC can focus on fine tuning other areas.
When Guardian Media visited the Queen’s Park Savannah yesterday, preparations were ongoing despite the holiday, with workmen repairing the roof of the Grand Stand and constructing booths for the Carnival City.
“Work is apace at the Savannah. Quite apart from that, we have people working off site as well doing other things that would be taking place around there,” he said.
Noticeably, there were no vendor booths going up on the outskirts of the Savannah. However, Peters noted that the existing booths were old and new booths were being reconstructed off site.
“We have to reconstruct them, we have to fix there, and we are doing that off-site so when we bring it up to the Savannah, it’s just to erect them and those are going to erect in short order,” Peters said.
Carnival Monday and Tuesday are set for February 20 and 21 in 2023.
The NCC recently promised patrons the best Carnival ever at a media launch, with the addition of features such as free Wi-Fi, e-tickets and online ticket sales, a “one-stop shop” and security and public health booths, park and ride facilities and the return of the North Stand at the Queen’s Park Savannah.
Speaking at the launch, Peters said they would continue to build their movement in order to attract younger generations to the festival.
