New additions to Carnival parade routes

MOST Carnival revellers may have grown accustomed to being taken along certain routes on Carnival Monday and Tuesday. Traditionally, from the Queens Park Savannah, bands move onto Victoria Avenue then onto Tragarete Road.

From Tragarete Road, bands access Ariapita Avenue via Ana Street to move onto Richmond Street where they move across South Quay. There, they turn onto Charlotte Street where masqueraders are rejoined with the savannah grass.

During a press conference on Thursday at Savannah, National Carnival Commission (NCC) officials unveiled additions to the traditional route. This is part of an effort to provide masqueraders with more time on the road.

Instead of accessing Ariapita Avenue via Ana Street, bands can now move onto Roxy Roundabout in Woodbrook. From the roundabout, they will head down Western Main Road through St James where they will move onto Mathura Street to access Mucurapo Road.

Once on Mucurapo Road, bands will move across Belle Smythe Street to regain access to Ariapita Avenue.

For bands heading to the Socadrome at the Jean Pierre Complex, instead of moving across Belle Smythe Street, they can use the Maraval Pathway to reach the Socadrome and then go to Ariapita Avenue.

For bands moving through St James and Mucurapo Road, if they are not using the Socadrome they will be allowed to rejoin Ariapita Avenue.

In an effort to improve the flow of bands and relieve any potential congestion, the NCC also revealed a new “escape route” feature. Based on assessments by NCC officials and the police, bands will be allowed to use these routes on a case-by-case basis.

Bands on Tragarete Road can use an “escape route” on Carlos Street to get to Charlotte Street while bands on Charlotte Street can use that same route to access Tragarete Road.

For this year's J’Ouvert celebrations, bands will also have more options.

In 2019, J’Ouvert bands were only allowed to use two of the five parade zones. This year, NCC officials said bands will be allowed to use any of the five routes and stay as long they want for the entire J’Ouvert period. J’Ouvert celebrations will begin at 4 am and officials are pleading with bands to ensure they play their part in making this year's celebrations a smooth one.

At the press conference, Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith sought to alert J’Ouvert masqueraders to take into consideration that there may be roadblocks on J’Ouvert morning. These roadblocks, he said, may be an inconvenience but he reminded citizens to be mindful that the police have their job to do.