FOR THE FIRST TIME, planning for Crop Over will start almost a year before the festival gets under way.
But before this year’s festival climaxes with Grand Kadooment tomorrow, already masqueraders are pleading for more prize money, greater sponsorship and a bigger piece of the pie.
Referring to the top prizes of fully-loaded $100 000 vehicles each in the Sweet Soca, Party Monarch and Pic-O-De-Crop competitions, president of the Barbados Association of Masqueraders Roger Millar said masquerade in Crop Over could not grow without some injection of capital.
And veteran designer Gwyneth Squires says the money is simply not enough. “The Best Large Band prize is $9 000 and Small Band is $7 000 – that’s the amount you can spend in just putting together a section of 75 people,” she informed. (RJ)
Full story in today’s SUNDAY SUN.
