by Kevon Browne
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN) – One month to the official kick-off of Sugar Mas 52 on December 15, 2023, and the St. Kitts Nevis National Carnival Committee is in full swing.
The Carnival Committee held a press conference on November 15 to give updates on the various elements of the marquee cultural event for the Federation.
Inclusivity is a big theme for Carnival officials in making sure that the carnival season is accessible to all sectors of the community.
During the press conference, a question was raised about one specific section of society that was given a special space during the 2023 St. Kitts Music Festival – Marijuana enthusiasts.
Director of the St. Kitts Nevis Carnival Secretariat, Clement ‘Monarch’ O’Garro, said the Secretariat is working to provide such a space.
“We are working to ensure that that happens. As a matter of fact, at 1 o’clock today [November 15], we have a site visit with the Ministry of Sports to ensure – I mean, you know what our infrastructure would be like. Once we’ve set the positioning of the stage and everything else in the venue, then we’ll decide where exactly that will be… for all the major festivals since [the] Music Festival that is happening now, and we won’t be any different because as you know, we are the biggest.”
Chair of the Carnival Committee, Shanon Hawley, said any moves in that regard would still need the approval of the Ministry of Health before anything is set in stone.
“But to follow up on that, it’s something we have to work closely with the Ministry of Health to ensure that it is in a position [the space] that everyone is in agreement with – so we have to get that final approval from the Ministry of Health. So it is the intention, but we have to get the approval.”
The 52nd annual hosting of the St. Kitts Nevis National Carnival – Sugar Mas 52 – is slated to run from December 15, 2023 – January 02, 2024.
