Promoters submit Crop Over proposals

Promoters have shared their ideas about events for the Crop Over Festival to Government.

President of the Entertainers Association of Barbados (EAB) Rudy Maloney told Weekend Buzz, “We had a meeting with the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) where we outlined our interests and a number of proposals were put forward to the Ministry of Health and Government. So we are awaiting word now.

“But I think all the proposals were very positive and I am just hoping we will get the approval, so the NCF can then launch a date on when Crop Over will be happening,” Maloney said.

On April 7, minister in the Prime Minister’s office with responsibility for Culture, John King, said that the Government would showcase a new look for the annual festival, which had to be cancelled last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

King noted that although more people were vaccinated, he said it was not foolproof and the festival had to change.

He said details on the roll-out would have been publicised by the end of April, but so far no concrete plan has been announced.

“We know the vaccines do not actually stop people from getting COVID so we have to be clear on that. Crop Over, as people envisioned it in the past with all the things going on, cannot be in the same way that we envisioned it,” King told reporters.

However, last week, Minister of Health Jeffrey Bostic acknowledged that they were considering events both virtual and in-person.

“I can see a mixture of things happening, in terms of virtual events and then some live and in-person events that can be controlled by whatever mechanism is available.

“But it is important to state that this will be decided by the extent of the pandemic within the country at a particular point in time,” Bostic said. (TG)