Augustine: Tobago Jazz update in early March

Chief Secretary Farley Augustine said an announcement on the 2023 edition of Tobago Jazz Experience will be made in early March, but he could give no further details on Wednesday.

Augustine said any new information will come from the Tobago Festivals Commission Ltd.

Last October, THA Secretary of Tourism, Culture, Antiquities and Transportation Tashia Burris said the Tobago Jazz Experience is on for April 2023, and had promised that the festival's headline acts would be announced in November 2022.

Speaking to reporters at Manta Lodge in Speyside, Augustine said, “I know that there are some plans and they have been planning. The festivals commission did point out to me that since 2020, they had some artistes that were already locked in – we were to have jazz and then covid19 came and shut everything down. So there are some artistes that they have already locked in that they may have to follow through on contractually. So that in itself will lead to whatever event we will have.”

He said he preferred not to give any further details until the commission has done its due diligence and is ready to reveal the details.

“I suspect that they will be coming very early in March with that. Of course we just came out of carnival, they wouldn’t want the message to get lost in people coming to the Mother of Carnivals and so I suspect that early March, the festivals commission will make that information available to the public.”

In 2021, owing to covid19 restrictions on large gatherings and outdoor events, the THA cancelled that edition of the festival, while in 2022, Augustine decided not to host the festival because of the inability to ensure suitable planning.