Tobago mas bandleaders are becoming increasingly concerned that they haven’t heard about marketing and other arrangements for the upcoming Tobago Carnival which is just a month away.
Dexter Sandy, interim president of the Tobago October Carnival Association, said mas bands are already experiencing a decline in sales compared to 2022 and interest in the island’s Carnival seems to be dwindling.
“We’re not hearing much. That is literally the feedback. A lot of mas bands are getting concerned that they’re not hearing much about the October Carnival. We realise that there’s a deficiency in that area. We really need to market more so we talking about mas bands, I’m talking about promoters, Tobago Festivals Commission, all stakeholders, we need to do more in marketing the Carnival,” he said.
Sandy said bandleaders are also hoping to hear more about stipends to assist struggling bands and as the countdown to Carnival begins, they are hopeful that the current lacklustre participation will soon see a significant turnaround.
“We still don’t have the level of participation at this time from masqueraders. There’s interest but at this stage last year we saw more. A lot of bands have already stated that the sales last year would have been higher. And I guess that came from last year’s marketing campaign.
“Ideally, marketing should have started in June, May or June. Ideally, marketing should have started since then but it’s not too late. I wouldn’t say it’s too late. At this point in time, a lot of us have invested into producing our mas bands and we need to ensure that these investments we are offering, we get returns.”
Sandy said the bandleaders are still optimistic and are actively seeking new strategies to boost masquerader participation. Read More
Bandleaders in the dark about Tobago Carnival plans. (n.d.). Www.guardian.co.tt. Retrieved September 14, 2023, from https://www.guardian.co.tt/news/bandleaders-in-the-dark-about-tobago-carnival-plans-6.2.1799452.aadee63f00
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