Welcome 2024 dancing or dining

There are many ways to welcome a new year: parties, a church service, or spending time with loved ones being among them.

If your choice is dance or dinner, there are several such events being held and, with an early Carnival, fetes are fast on the heels of Old Year’s celebrations.

The long-established Soka in Moka which is titled The Evolution, will be among the first of Carnival events on January 1.

But on December 31, Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre, Hyatt Regency Trinidad, Chaud Café and Wine Bar and Mount Irvine Bay Resort, Grafton Road, Mt Irvine, Tobago, will be among many hosting events to usher in 2024.

Mt Irvine Bay Resort’s sales and marketing manager Rachel McSween said it hosts an annual event, whether at the beach or poolside.

This year’s event will be seaside.

“Normally, a lot of people would book well in advance for it. This year we are seeing pick up but it is late. That I think is the biggest difference.”

She said there was a fair amount of interest and it was almost at the same level as last year, with people contacting the resort through e-mails, phone and its social media pages.

For her, she believes many have not made a definite decision on what they want to do for the evening.

“I think they are checking right up until they have to make a decision to see what is the best option for them,” McSween said.

Cost, location, safety were factors for those deciding on the best way to start a new year, she added.

“When they look at cost, they look at what they are getting for the cost. It is not just about paying for something but they want it all-inclusive. Is dinner involved in it or is it just drinks?

“Is there a live band? Is it a DJ? All of these different details will factor in to where they find the most value and where they will end up spending their Old Year’s or New Year’s dollar.”

The resort’s all-inclusive event will begin with cocktails leading into a three-course dinner and then an after party.

At the “elegantly-casual” event, “footwear is optional,” she said.

At the Hyatt Regency on Wrightson Road, Port of Spain, its New Year's Eve Dinner and Dance begins at 7 pm and ends at 1 am. Each couple/pair attending the event will receive a bottle of champagne, and Dil E Nadan and Kay Alleyne will also provide additional entertainment.

At One Woodbrook Place, people attending Chaud Café and Wine Bar’s Old Year's Night dinner will be treated to a live DJ all night and an a la carte menu (a choice of individually-priced dishes for each course).

Those interested were invited to reserve a spot. Chaud supervisor Candice McClatchie said the restaurant was getting the interest it hoped for and was booked out early.

There was greater interest this year than last year when the world emerged out of covid19 restrictions and more events began taking place again.

Events company Jamboree Trinidad will host Meet Me At Midnight at Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre, Lady Young Road, Port of Spain, from 9 pm.

A representative said the event was generating buzz, as it usually does and was oversubscribed this year.

“Where we have our event at Hilton we can only hold about 2,000 people,” she said.

Guests will enjoy a countdown and premium drinks.

For Soka in Moka The Evolution, being held at the St Andrew's Golf Club, Moka, the event’s organisers, led by former vice principal Janice Richards, hope there will be good weather. The fete starts at 4 pm.

Richards said all of the events early bird tickets were sold out and, at the time of writing; there were only a couple of the $900 tickets left.

Hoping to host an audience of about 1,500-2,000 people, the committee will have some first-time features for its patrons, including wildmeat. There will also be some giveaways, she said.

Despite a few challenges last year Richards said the committee was working to overcome that and give its patrons a great show.

Other Carnival events taking place include, Tribe Ice at Jean Pierre Complex, Port of Spain on December 30 and Soca on the Sand at 5 am at Pigeon Point Heritage Park on January 1.