By Stephen Weir

 Will Canadians head south next month?

There will indeed be a carnival of sorts this year in Trinidad. Last week the T&T government made it official, a strip-down version of the annual event kicks off on Monday, February 28, and closes Tuesday March 1^st minus a costumed street parade.

Prime Minister Keith Rowley confirmed that the carnival is returning after a year’s absence due to Covid. “We have received good advice and extensive consultation. Carnival 2022 will not see street parades, unvaccinated gatherings and wild public partying, but there is room for ‘safe-zone’ venue-specific events where some elements of the festival can be sampled as a Carnival microcosmic mosaic with a difference.”

There will be no parade, no fetes or parties. This time around there will only be concert-type shows in safe zone venues for vaccinated persons.  Randall Mitchell, Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, explained earlier this week that these “safe-zone type events will be limited to 50 per cent capacity, with controlled entry and exit points and sanitization upon entry in accordance with the Public Health regulations.”

Normally Toronto revelers come in large numbers to Port of Spain to take part or simply watch the fun unfold. This year will be different, with concerns about Covid, and the cancellation of the world famous parade, there doesn’t appear to be much interest from Canadian carnival lovers to making the trip this year.

“Sorry Stephen not many of the stakeholders are overly keen on it (going to T&T)” said Toronto radio host Jai Ojah-Maharaj. “There might be some concert type events at 50 percent attendance. And no carnival parade! Got to wait and see (if Canadians head to Port of Spain).”

Another journalist on Social Media was critical of T&T’s decision to have a carnival of any sort because of health concerns. “Madness. Over 20 people dying daily, schools not open and you are having carnival? Morons” read his tweet to me.

Meanwhile die-hard Carnival fans in T&T believer that there is only one real carnival in the world, with or without a parade.

Popular T&T influencer Sans Humanite supports what the government is doing next month.

“Any entity or country that isn’t Trinidad and Tobago that still decides to celebrate carnival this year will be considered cultural appropriators. If we can’t have carnival then NOBODY else can have it.”

If you are fully vaccinated and can prove it, you should secure an airline ticket as soon as possible. Air Canada has no direct flights and according to Expedia Air there are a dwindling number of flights available on United Airlines, American and Caribbean Airlines available to get to the party on time.