by DONNA SEALY

CHAIRMAN of the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) Al Gilkes wants to see the format of the Foreday Morning Jump-Up changed.

He told the DAILY NATION on Sunday at the Party Monarch Finals he hoped authorities would allow the NCF to have at least two routes into Spring Garden Highway for next year's event.

The current jump-up, which begins after the conclusion of the Pic-O-De-Crop Finals, proceeds from Lower Bay Street in the City, passes along Wharf Road, Princess Alice Highway, Prescod Boulevard and on to Spring Garden.

If Gilkes gets his way, the jump-up that has grown significantly since its inception in 1995 would start at the Garrison Savannah.

"For years we've been trying to get at least two routes into Spring Garden. Initially, the concept was for three routes into Spring Garden: one coming from the south . . . from the Garrison to pick up visitors and Barbadians living in the south; one coming from the north probably from University Hill side; and one coming directly from the Stadium after the Pic-O-De Crop Finals.

Larger crowd

"For security reasons we've been restricted to one route, but after whatever number of years we've outgrown that capacity. We started with probably 2 000 people, now we're talking about 20 000 people or more. We can't be using one route anymore.

"So I would hope that those in authority would listen to my plea and allow us to allow people to pick up three or four different areas so that the crowd is dissipated, as opposed to congested into one area," he said.

Meanwhile, Gilkes said that amidst renewed calls for the last lap of Crop-Over, Grand Kadooment, to be held over two days, he was not sure this would work even though Trinidad did it.

"I don't know if we did two days in Barbados how long it would take for people to get accustomed to that sort of thing." he said.

"To just put on two days for just the sake of putting on two days, I don't know if it would work."

He noted that the largest Carnival band in Trinidad had more people than all revellers who jumped on Kadooment Day in Barbados combined, therefore he did not know what they would do on the second day.

donnasealy@nationnews.com