THE SEA of colour that is Grand Kadooment will be painted by 22 bands of revellers as the 2010 Crop-Over Festival reaches its climax tomorrow.And its canvas will be wider and longer: From Warrens to Spring Garden via the National Stadium.Much like yesterday’s Foreday Morning jump, there will be just under 15 000 masqueraders jamming down the streets to pulsating calypso rhythms.This year’s competition offers changes: A longer jump-up route and the chance for bandleaders and revellers to fête with their personal music trucks as they pass the judges, the first of whom they will face as they make their way behind the stadium.Assistant festivals and event planner Kim Bascombe who worked alongside senior festivals and events planner, Ashanti Trotman, noted security would be extremely tight, as the bands start their trek at 8 a.m. sharp. Head of security Bruce Rowe, revealed revellers will be well protected. Bands will have security personnel to match their numbers, while additional police and Barbados Defence Force (BDF) personnel will line the routes.Bands have been designated different assembly locations around Warrens so there should be no bustling on the day. “We have timed it so that the last band is expected to leave at 11:20 a.m. in a best case scenario. Hopefully there will be no rain. We have planned a very tight schedule and will be working closely with the police and marshals. We are using a cadre of marshals that have been used throughout the years and are accustomed to the route,” Bascombe noted.Following tradition, the Walk Holy and Blue Box Cart bands will be first and second out of the gates. For the first time this year a Martinique band Asou-Yo will be parading. That band will comprise 45 non-Barbadian revellers.Once the bands leave Warrens they will head down Green Hill, and turn left at the Codrington junction.From Combermere, the bands will proceed down Station Hill, turn right at Eastmond Corner, moving along to Bank Hall, then on to Eagle Hall, then Black Rock, turning left at Brighton and down onto Spring Garden Highway.Bascombe said safety was paramount, and the music trucks had been inspected by the Ministry of Transport and Works, and all protective rails were in place.“MTW will do last minute checks because everyone recognises the importance of safety, but most of the trucks were already of a very high standard, so they didn’t have any problem with additional protective measures,” she noted.Bascombe said she expected tomorrow’s jump to showcase some beautiful costumes.“The costumes are fantastic in terms of details and beading… looking at the workmanship that has gone into the costumes it is pretty good, in fact it is spectacular this year,” she noted.
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