By Ayanna Kirton, Gleaner WriterJAMAICA CARNIVAL Ltd., organisers of Jamaica Carnival 2004 plan to make good on their promise to stage a carnival celebration this year that will be an 'inclusive event' for all Jamaicans.
Absent from last year's road march, Jamaica Carnival Ltd., headed by Byron Lee, cited the decline in participation from it core supporters as the main reason for its absence in an interview with Wednesday Business last year.
This year, however, with the support of Supreme Ventures, who have partnered with the event organisers to be the title sponsors of Jamaica Carnival for the next three years, Jamaica Carnival Ltd. has returned to stage what Julianne Lee-Samuels, co-director of the event company, says will be 'a hell of a production'.
Celebrating its 15th anniversary, Jamaica Carnival will take on a different look this year with more emphasis in the final road march being placed on floats, music trucks, a variety of local and international performances, and less on costumes.
"We want an almost Mardi Gras like feel to carnival this year," said the Jamaica carnival director, comparing plans for this year's carnival to the annual spectacle held in New Orleans, USA.
A CHANCE TO CREATE
Mrs. Lee-Samuels also said because the revenues from the sale of costumes could not cover the costs involved in their creation and delivery to the consumer coupled with dwindling interest among participants who were unable to afford the cost of the costumes due to challenging economic times, made the organisers move to give sponsors the opportunity to create 'affordable carnival attire' (ACA). Not to be confused with traditional carnival costumes, Mrs. Lee-Samuels said affordable carnival attire would be available for a nominal cost.
"The high cost of costumes alienated potential participants in the past," she said. "Affordable carnival attire will encourage a wider cross section of Jamaicans to take part and dispel the belief that carnival is an uptown event," she added.
ISLANDWIDE CARNIVAL
According to Mrs. Lee-Samuels, carnival events this year would not be concentrated mainly in the Kingston and St. Andrew area. Instead there are plans to hold events in 12 of the island's 14 parishes. "Jamaica Carnival will cover the island allowing rural towns to enjoy and benefit economically from the various events as well," said Mrs. Lee-Samuels, who outlined the economic effects of such a large-scale event particularly to industries like tourism, advertising, food and beverage manufacturing, and the media.
"Promoters are not the only ones who will benefit from carnival," she said, explaining that very small entrepreneurs such as vendors to large corporations all stand to cash in from the increase in sales and exposure of their products.
SPONSORS
In addition to title sponsor, Supreme Ventures, other sponsors of Jamaica Carnival 2004 include Appleton Rum, Coca-Cola, Air Jamaica, Air Jamaica Express, Jamaica Pegasus, Burger King, Cable & Wireless, SuperPlus Supermarkets, WATA, Wakefield Juices, Happy Ice, CVM Televi-sion, IRIE FM, and Zip FM.
Jamaica Carnival 2004 is scheduled to begin on February 27 in Negril, Westmoreland and will end on April 18 with a road march of an estimated 2,000 participants in St. Andrew. The road march will culminate at the National Stadium car park with a free concert featuring various local and international performers and is expected to attract an audience of over 100,000 people.
"This is a non-revenue event," said Mrs. Lee-Samuels describing the final road march and concert which would cost the organisers between $18 and $20 million "but the income from events prior to the final one helps to offset some of the costs," she said.
