Over the next five days, our premiere cultural festival, which had been put on pause for the last two years, will come to a climax with the finals of the major calypso, soca, ragga and steelband competitions, the ‘ole mas’ competition and a showcase of the mas bands.

This year’s festival is a scaled back version compared with previous years as the Miss SVG pageant and the junior steel band competition have been pushed back to October and the appearance of mas bands on Sunday night and Tuesday will be strictly for our viewing pleasure, as they will not be judged.

In February, four short months before the kickoff of the festival, the Ministry of Culture, Carnival Development Corporation (CDC), and the representatives of the main components of the festival – mas, steelpan and calypso decided to go with this version of VincyMas, rather than no festival at all, given the uncertainty associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

But whatever we have lost in variety, scale or quality, we are certainly making up in terms of enthusiasm and energy; after all, ‘Tings nice again’ and ‘We outside’. Carnival revellers of all ages are defying the still existing risk of COVID-19 infection and the inclement weather we have been experiencing all week and have been partying non-stop in large numbers at the various parties and shows around the country.

Although visitors and returning nationals have been flying in, it is unlikely that our tourism statistics will reflect arrivals in the large numbers we had in 2018 and 2019. In addition to the relatively late decision to host the festival, the absolute nightmare that now presents itself as regional air travel and the exorbitant cost of airline tickets from North America and the UK have proved somewhat of a deterrent to those who normally make the annual trek to St Vincent.

But many have come despite the challenges and this tells us something about the attractiveness of our festival though we must constantly re-examine its content and how we package it.

SEARCHLIGHT would like to take this opportunity to say a big WELCOME to our visitors, nationals and non-nationals alike. For the returning nationals and their offspring, the VincyMas visit is much more than participating in the festivities, it is also a time of reconnection with relatives, communities, former schoolmates and reintegration into Vincentian society and opens possibilities for taking part in other non-Carnival activities.

The festivities begin tonight with an event dubbed ‘EVO – A Night in the Clouds’ which tends to feature hits and acts of yesteryear. Tomorrow night, in what is expected to be the biggest show of the season for the CDC, the big guns will battle it out in the soca and ragga soca competitions. Then on Sunday, in the night of the finals, ‘PanKaiMas’ will present the best we have to offer in calypso, steelpan and mas.

In relation to calypso, the turnout at the semi-finals last week Friday was the best it has been in years and gives hope to calypso afficionados who had been lamenting what appeared to be the slow death of the art form that seemed not to have as much appeal for the younger generation as does soca.

Finally, even though VincyMas is a time when many of us tend to ‘let down our hair’, it is still important that we avoid excessives of all types, pay attention to the safety and security of our person and property, exhibit zero tolerance for violence, try to limit exposure to possible COVID-19 infection as far as is practicable, practise self respect, and respect others around us, so that we can all enjoy a safe, clean and happy VincyMas 2022.