Port of Spain Mayor expects mother of all carnivals in 2023

PORT OF SPAIN Mayor Joel Martinez said Carinival 2023 would be the mother of all Carnivals, and Port of Spain is ready to be at its centre.

“It will be very large and a fantastic festival that no one has ever seen in TT. The city of POS is going to be well positioned and poised to handle the mother of all carnivals. I think we deserve it,” Martinez said.

Martinez spoke to Newsday at the launch of Downtown Port of Spain Carnival, at Woodford Square. The launch included a street procession sponsored by Digicel and featuring Carib girls, Digicel revellers and dancers from the Candyland J’ouvert band.

The street procession went down Frederick Street, around the roundabout on Independence Square, North on Abercromby and back to Woodford Square. Passers-by turned to revellers as the three trucks went along their route. People seemed to follow the advice given by the Prime Minister the day before, ensuring that their masks were worn.

After the procession the Mayor hosted a street concert at the square which included performers such as Nessa Preppy, Ding Dong, Fay-Ann Lyons-Alvarez and Wadicki.

During the concert Carnival stalwarts such as Jemma Jordan, better known as the voice of Carnival and Dexter “Blaxx” Stewart were also honoured with Downtown Carnival Cultural Legacy awards.

Blaxx’s award was given to a relative who thanked the Carnival community and the Downtown Carnival committee for the honour.

“He sacrificed a lot, put in a lot of hard work throughout the years and kept it consistent. His legacy would live on,” the relative said.

Security forces were also out in their numbers, ensuring the safety of the revelers. He expressed his confidence that the security forces would up to the task of keeping Carnival safe.

“In order for people to enjoy themselves, they would have to feel safe,” the Mayor said. “The security forces understand that. I think that they are preparing themselves. They are trained sufficiently to be able to understand what sort of epic event TT is going to have.”

Martinez added that numbers would be high, especially with the addition of 1,500 to 2,000 cruiseship visitors who would land on TT’s Port on Carnival weekend.

He also noted that the city would prepare itself in a manner that would keep covid19 numbers down.

“Covid19 gave us an opportunity to stretch our imaginations and equip ourselves to deal with this kind of adventure,” he said.

Digicel CEO Abraham Smith said its sponsorship was its way of showing support for the city of Port of Spain, having just opened a branch in the nation’s capital.

“TT loves Carnival, Digicel loves Carnival. It is our way of showing our support of the city,” Smith said.

He added that he was excited to see how their digital innovations learned over the past two years without a physical Carnival, would intersect with a more open and physical Carnival.

“Partying online, digital tickets, all those things; I am excited to see what that would look like in the physical world,” he said.

He added that Digicel has a list of special products for locals and tourists for the Carnival including one-day and 30-day plans as well as deals on its Digicel Go and Digicel plus home packages.

“We also have some great tourist deals as well,” he said “We have e-sims so you would be able to come in and use your e-sim, and stay connected.”