Fresh Crop Over gala

This year’s opening ceremony for the Crop Over Festival will have a new look and feel.
Cranston Brown, chief executive officer of the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) revealed this on Thursday during the official launch of the Republic Bank Citifest and Ceremonial Delivery of Last Canes at Republic Bank in Broad Street.
“In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the rebirth of this modern Crop Over Festival we sought to transform the previous gala concept to reignite the excitement for the event, but also to achieve a number of objectives in the process,” Browne said.
“The most important of these being the linkages between our sugar history and this centre of commerce and trade still existing today, that proudly holds the designation UNESCO World Heritage Property of Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison.”
The theme for this year’s event, Looking Back to Come Forward, will feature an urban street fair in Bridgetown, a heritage parade, and a concert which will highlight some of the talent of the calypso tents.
The NCF and Republic Bank gave people a sneak peak at what’s to come at the June 28 event. Traffic on Broad Street came to a halt for a while as a spectacle of dancers, tuk bands, Mother Sally and characters that are part of Crop Over danced and frolicked up Broad Street.
“If we go back in history, Bridgetown was actually the site of the first celebration of the Crop Over Festival and I am also told that it has a long history for the bank which includes the sugar manufacturing era, so for us in our 40th year, we are bringing it back home,” said. “This change to the opening celebrations for Crop Over is a long-term move to be implemented over the next few years or so.” (SH-O)