After a two-year break, Barbados will have a modified 2022 Crop Over this summer.
Prime Minister Mia Mottley said the carnival season’s two main events – Foreday Morning and Grand Kadooment – will be decentralized, with at least eight venues to accommodate persons who wish to play mas at these two events.
“And it means that those persons who will attend those decentralized venues will have to adhere to the same rules that persons attending fetes will adhere to over the course of the next few months. We are happy for this because we know that after two years of no Crop Over and no release, people are more than waiting for this opportunity,” she said at a press conference over the weekend.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office with responsibilities for Culture, Senator Shantal Munroe-Knight, and Chief Executive Officer of the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) Carol Roberts-Reifer will meet with industry stakeholders to finalize the details for the event.
Prime Minister Mottley has, however, made it clear that the events will not be a ‘free-for-all’ and revelers will still have to adhere to COVID-19 protocols. She said that the number of people allowed to attend an event will still depend on the size of the venue. Revelers will also be required to be fully vaccinated and/or show evidence of a negative COVID-19 test result to attend such events.
Mottley said she hopes to have the venues “properly fenced with protocols announced” so that locals and tourists can enjoy carnival on the island.
Barbados joins the list of growing Caribbean countries, including Antigua and Barbuda, the US Virgin Islands, St. Vincent, and the Grenadines and Grenada, who have announced plans for their annual carnival celebrations this year.
The Crop Over season in Barbados is held from the end of July to the beginning of August.
