In the absence of the official 2020 carnival celebrations, Spicemas Corporation (SMC) has announced that it will be using open source technology to create a virtual carnival experience as an alternate form of entertainment.

“Spicemas 2020 is cancelled because of Covid-19 but we have decided to keep the spirit of carnival alive by having this Virtual Carnival Experience which will feature local entertainers in a setting that is complying with the 6 feet health protocol,” said Kelvin Jacob, Chief Executive Officer of the Spicemas Corporation. “There will be no competition for this virtual experience.” Jacob assured entertainers who participate in the virtual experience will receive financial compensation.

The first virtual experience will be on Thursday, 25 June 2020. Jacob said the venue will be one of the conference rooms at the National Stadium, there will be no invited audience other than the production crew, the live band members, and the entertainers.

“All the productions will be weekly on Thursdays and the audience will be all those who tune in using the various online platforms,” he said. These platforms will include radio stations, television stations, the Government Information Service (GIS) and other entertainment websites.

On 5 May 2020, Spicemas Corporation announced that the 2020 celebrations will be cancelled because of the “wide-ranging effects of Covid-19 not only on public health and the local economy but also our way of life.”

“While great effort has been made by the local authorities to manage the spread of this disease, an event the size and nature of our carnival, can give rise to the often-touted “second wave” of Covid-19 and further impact the lives and livelihoods of Grenadians. It is against this backdrop that Spicemas Corporation has decided to cancel Spicemas 2020,” said the news release.

“This difficult decision was finalised after discussions with our public health officials and other stakeholders. Spicemas Corporation is fully cognisant of the impact of this decision on our many stakeholders, but we are confident that it is indeed the right decision to safeguard public health and safety,” said the release which explained that the cancellation provides an extended timeframe for the corporation to plan and execute a bigger and better Spicemas 2021.

Source:https://www.nowgrenada.com