Grenada is celebrating 30 years of Carnival, and as part of its series of events, the Grenada Board of Tourism has taken the decision to launch Spice Mas 2011 right here in T&T. An excited Edwin Frank, public relations officer of the Board, gave details on the launch carded for the June 28 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Wrightson Road Port-of-Spain, as well as upcoming events scheduled to come off leading up to Grenada’s 2011 Carnival celebration in August, themed—Home of 100,000 Jab Jabs.
Manning a booth at the Trade and Investment Conference (TIC), which ran from June 14 to 18 at the Hyatt Regency, Frank disclosed that the decision to launch Grenada's Carnival in T&T was part of a promotional event introduced by the Grenada Board of Tourism, in collaboration with the Grenada Hotels Association, to promote the culture of Grenada and to foster cultural exchange between Grenada and T&T.
“Travel professional tour operators and media personnel of T&T have been invited to listen to presentations that will provide updated information about the state of Grenada’s tourism industry, available packages, bargaining and other incentives that would serve to stimulate and enhance travel between T&T and Grenada,” articulated Frank. He said their presence at TIC was primarily to invite T&T to visit Grenada for Carnival and to advertise the festival being launched here. “The Board of Tourism recognises T&T as extremely important with respect to regular travel. Traditionally 80 per cent of all Caricom arrivals to Grenada come form T&T. “In fact there were years when 30 per cent of all tourist arrivals came from T&T. So we are very confident that Trinbagonians will patronise Spice Carnival 2011.”
Spice Carnival 2011, special
Frank indicated that the 30th anniversary was being regarded as special because it marked the decision to remove Carnival from being a pre-Lenten festival to the month of August. He said to commemorate the anniversary, there would be a few new events on the Carnival calendar. “The Grenada Carnival Committee have planned a string of events for this year’s Carnival. There would be some new introductions, like the All Star Show featuring all the Carnival winners who will perform at the Grenada National Stadium on the final night of Carnival—that is a first. “There would also be the return of the Carnival City, where the inner court of the partially refurbished Fort Matthews will host soca concerts and other Carnival events,” revealed Frank.
He added that a remake of the original Road March tune—We Want We Carnival, which was sung by the deceased Timpo in 1981—the year Carnival was moved to August, will be done by popular Grenadian soca artiste, Brother B. According to Frank, Spice Mas 2011 will also see masqueraders parading along the longest route ever—Grand Anse to the Carenage in St George’s. Spice Mas 2011 will begin on July 24 with a series of Carnival events, and will culminate on August 9 with the parade of the bands.
