Carnival to have smaller budget - but not yet set

As of Thursday, February 18, 2016

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

TOURISM Minister Obie Wilchcombe said officials are still working to determine the budget for this year’s Junkanoo Carnival.

He insisted, however, that the price will be “several million dollars” less than last year’s festival, which cost about $11.3m.

Last year’s event was criticised because of government’s failure to break even or make a profit despite hailing the event as an economic stimulus and tourist attraction.

“We’re getting briefs on carnival,” Mr Wilchcombe said yesterday. “We’ve seen preliminary budgets that they’re proposing. A number of things are still being done. Marketing plans are being completed. We expect a rollout soon. It will definitely be less expensive. Several million dollars less certainly.”

Although Mr Wilchcombe did not reveal any specifics, a source in the Christie administration told The Tribune that the government was considering a budget of $3m for the event.

It also remains unclear which entertainer will headline the festival’s main concert.

Last year, the government received heavy criticism for failing to secure a headliner well in advance of the festival before ultimately deciding on Trinidadian soca singer Machel Montano.

This, Mr Wilchcombe has said, possibly contributed to the event’s failure to attract a notable number of tourists.

The government had budged $9m for its inaugural Junkanoo Carnival, but because of cost overruns, the festival’s cost ballooned to $11.3m. The government reaped $8.3m in combined direct and tax revenues, with the later providing $6.7m of that sum.

Critics, like FNM Deputy Leader Peter Turnquest, have said that the Bahamas National Festival Commission, which organises the festival, hasn’t learned from last year’s mistakes and won’t structure the event in a way that reaps a return on its investment.

The BNFC has said that local artist Julien “Believe” Thompson will produce this year’s Music Master’s song competition, a contest in which Bahamian musicians submit their songs in the hope of being crowned champion of the festival.

Carnival is scheduled for May 5-7 in New Providence, with a kick-off event from April 15-16 in Grand Bahama.

TruePeople 8 years, 2 months ago

Last years carnival was set to be alot less that it actually was too.

Don't tell we anything until you tell us the Budget with LINE FOR LINE EXPENSE SENDING.

other than that, keep quiet

btw tribune there was no reaping.... if what was 'reaped' was less than what was spent, then there was actually at least a $3mill loss.... LOSS ...

ThisIsOurs 8 years, 2 months ago

Mr Wilchcombe is good at what he does. But I'm not convinced that anything is in place or that the budget will be any less. I think they will eventually make an announcement that carnival must happen no matter the cost. Same as they did last year, same as they did for BAMSI. I could be wrong but...

Honestman 8 years, 2 months ago

No Budget yet for the big party! Just what we need when the economy is in the sh*t. Spend more tax payers money and forget ya cares!

Bahamaland 8 years, 2 months ago

11.3m last year and now they want to budget 3.5m this year when they intend to do more marketing...I guess they bought all the sound/stage equipment and the standby generators last year....boy we living in a jokey town run by a bunch of clowns.

asiseeit 8 years, 2 months ago

The country is over 7 billion dollars in DEBT and these fucktards waste millions on a party they can not even plan in a professional and timely manner. God help this country we are ruled by JOKERS!

John 8 years, 2 months ago

Reports are starting to surface that babies being born with major birth defects in Venezuela and Brazil are the result of mass spraying of insecticides from airplanes in those areas. The insecticides being used are known to cause microcephaly and other birth defects. And further speculation is that genetically engineered mosquitoes (gmo) were used to wipe out the mosquito that carried the Chikungunya virus but the engineered mosquito was not immune to the Zika virus. Hence now the effort to wipe out this new breed of Zika carrying mosquitoes.. Another claim about the mass publicity and the reports of the Zika mutating and now able to be transmitted from person to person is an underhanded attempt to sabotage the Olympics. Apparently this plan is falling apart.

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