The Carnival Fever is spreading rapidly across the island as we journey towards the 60th anniversary celebrations of the Caribbean's Greatest Summer Festival -Antigua's Carnival 2017.
Last weekend, the first of seven planned “Community Carnival” events was held at the Pigotts Playfield. The event attracted a huge audience who were treated to the sweet sounds of pulsating steel pan rhythms from the 2016 Panorama Champions Digicel Halcyon steel orchestra. After receiving the appetizer the main course followed with performances from, Claudette "CP" Peters, Zamoni, Hardknaxx and Janine.
Patrons also got a first-hand view of the designs from Myst Mas Troupe and Joe Mikes T-shirt Mas showcasing their 2017 productions. Adding a bit of spice to the evening, was Minister with responsibility for National Festivals, the Honorable E. P. Chet Greene, who decided to display his hidden Calypso singing talent. This was surely a treat which left the audience in a frenzy.
Chairman of the Antigua and Barbuda Festivals Commission, Maurice Merchant, is pleased with the turnout of the first episode, noting that, it was the largest crowd ever seen at a single community carnival event to date. He's satisfied, that the momentum is building up for the highly anticipated festival. The newly added feature to the community Carnival programme, “NEXT ON STAGE”, saw the emergence of three talented individuals taking their talents to the Carnival stage.
The Antigua and Barbuda Festivals Commission is encouraging prospective participants to register at the office, located in Pigotts Mall on Redcliffe and Market streets.
Participants must not have competed in a carnival competition before and must be a citizen of Antigua & Barbuda (birth/naturalization). Competitors must be willing to perform an original piece or a cover within the Calypso or Soca genre.
The primary objective of the “NEXT ON STAGE” competition, which is judged by three cultural arts adjudicators, seeks to identify hidden talents within the respective communities and give exposure to the entertainment industry.
All residents and visitors are invited to join the “Community Carnival” train as we journey to Nelson's Dock-yard on Saturday 6th of May 2017 commencing at 2pm. The entertainment
lineup will feature performances from Gemonites steel orchestra, Revellers, Dumztree Carnival, Shani, Young Lyrics and Revo Band. Antigua Carnival runs from July 28th to August 8th, under the theme,
“CELEBRATE GREATNESS”.
See the full photo gallery here: Full Gallery from event
