[UPDATED] Festivals CEO: $9m budget for Tobago carnival

AFTER repeated calls by stakeholders for the Tobago House of Assembly to reveal the budget for the October carnival, Tobago Festivals Commission Ltd CEO Kern Cowan has announced that some $9 million was allocated for the upcoming event.

On the Tobago Updates morning show on October 15, Cowan disagreed with the view, in some quarters, that the allocation should have been revealed sooner.

“I don’t know that it took long. But that budget has always been what it was. It has always been $9 million and we are at the point where we are doing the work to support that,” he said.

The budget for last year’s carnival was estimated at $12,590,660, which covered subventions to interest groups, logistics, infrastructure and other related expenses.

That figure represented a decrease in the actual spend from the inaugural investment in 2022. That year, the THA had initially planned to spend $17.5 million but the final cost was $12-$13 million.

Cowan, who was appointed festivals commission CEO in September, said the money for this year’s festival was allocated with stakeholders in mind.

“The budget is what it is. We were planning the carnival all of the time. We are taking this carnival from a stakeholders’ point of view and trying to do as much as we can to support all of our stakeholders across the board. So it’s been working along with them, ensuring that everything that is needed is supplied.”

He said the commission has been meeting on Wednesdays with the various interest groups, including the Tobago October Carnival Association, Pan Trinbago, the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation and promoters, “to ensure that we are close in terms of what they expect and what they are looking for.

“We are working to support them tremendously throughout the carnival. We have been in conversations with them and we have been working with them very closely to execute.

“So this budget is an all-inclusive budget based on what we need to do to support all of Tobago, all of our stakeholders, all of our viewers, all of the masqueraders, everybody that has to be a part of the carnival has been considered in this budget.”

On some bandleaders' claims that they did not know an allocation had been revealed, Cowan said many of them are affiliated with TOCA and were privy to all the discussions.

“TOCA is the representing body that we have been meeting with consistently. So in terms of what information has been lacking, that’s an internal conversation, because we have been giving all of the information to all of our stakeholders, and they are very much abreast of all that is taking place going forward.

“The budget is literally based on the input that they have...The budget has been a collaborative point of view from our stakeholders.”

Cowan said the relatively short time frame the commission had to prepare for the carnival had not affected the promotion of the festival, “because most of the promotion was already in place and has been rolling out since July. They have been doing promotions in Trinidad and in the region.

“So there has been promotion consistently. If you look at social media, you will see those things in existence...The execution is really the groundwork taking flight at this time.”

Cowan said the marketing for the event so far has generated interest both locally and internationally.

“Let’s look at the figures. Right now, we have no flights. You have to look around to get bookings somewhere. That tells us a story: that there has been information out in the region and external to Tobago that there is carnival in the space. So there is enough to tell you that there is going to be a bumper presence of people for the carnival.”

He said the Tobago Hotel and Tourism Association is also anticipating a bumper carnival.

“They are telling you that there are some places that are already 100 per cent (occupied), some that are 85 per cent. The villas are up to maximum.”

The commission, Cowan said, is also in ongoing discussions with Caribbean Airlines and the Port Authority about the availability of flights and sailings.

On the latter, he said, “There is still conversations with the Port Authority on how much more can we do. So we are very close to capacity in terms of how much we can take on the island as it is. That tells you that there is a benefit thus far in what we have been able to do with marketing and promotion.”

Cowan said the issue of whether more could be done is a matter of opinion.

“In general, you can always say more could have been done, this could have been done differently. That is a matter of perspective. So we continue to do our introspection and we continue to deliver as best as we can.”

He said the commission intends to market events for the 2025 October carnival and all other activities under its remit much earlier than usual.

This story has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

AFTER repeated calls by stakeholders for the Tobago House of Assembly to reveal the budget for the October carnival, Tobago Festivals Commission Ltd CEO Kern Cowan has announced that some $9 million was allocated for the upcoming event.

On the Tobago Updates morning show on October 15, Cowan disagreed with the view, in some quarters, that the allocation should have been revealed sooner.

“I don’t know that it took long. But that budget has always been what it was. It has always been $9 million and we are at the point where we are doing the work to support that,” he said.

Cowan, who was appointed Festivals Commission CEO in September, said the money was allocated with stakeholders in mind.

“The budget is what it is. We were planning the carnival all of the time. We are taking this carnival from a stakeholders’ point of view and trying to do as much as we can to support all of our stakeholders across the board. So it’s been working along with them, ensuring that everything that is needed is supplied.”

He said the commission has been meeting on Wednesdays with the various interest groups, including the Tobago October Carnival Association, Pan Trinbago, the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation and promoters, “to ensure that we are close in terms of what they expect and what they are looking for.”

Cowan added, “We are working to support them tremendously throughout the carnival. We have been in conversations with them and we have been working with them very closely to execute.

“So this budget is an all-inclusive budget based on what we need to do to support all of Tobago, all of our stakeholders, all of our viewers, all of the masqueraders, everybody that has to be a part of the carnival has been considered in this budget.”