Cayman Island?s national carnival, Batabano will be launching its first-ever Virtual Street Parade on May 9 at 1pm Caribbean Time
This time in keeping with the regulations of the government authorities, people will not be gathering in the streets. Instead, they will be taking part in the virual carnival, featuring international Soca performers Marszville and 5Star Akil, through Facebook and Zoom.
Carnival chasers and masqueraders around the world are invited to wear one of their favourite carnival costumes and join the virtual Batabano Street Parade via Zoom or Facebook Live at 7pm UK time.
People can access the Zoom sign in details via the official Facebook pagewww.facebook.com/batabanocayman. Those who have signed up for Batabano?s newsletters via www.caymancarnival.com, will find it in their mail.
?Batabano is celebrating its 37th anniversary this year, and while we await the government?s final decision on the main street parade being possible this Fall, we are excited to introduce a Virtual Street Parade for the first time in the carnival?s history. This would be one of the first such virtual parades in the history of Caribbean carnivals overall,? said Batabano chairperson Donna Myrie-Stephen.
However, the actual Batabano Street Parade is merely postponed for 2020, not cancelled, she added. ?As people in Cayman know, we fought long and hard to confirm this date, so while we are adhering to the government?s decisions in terms of the health and safety of our people, during this Coronavirus pandemic, we remain determined to offer our masqueraders a unique experience of a lifetime on Saturday May 9,? she said.
There will also be international DJ?s participating in the parade, including DJ Storm of Atlanta, DJ Ang from New York, DJ Omar from Jamaica, alongside some of Cayman?s top DJ?s such as DJ Fross, DJ Menace, Sound Revolution, and DJ Lin.
Local radio stations Hot 104.1 and Radio Cayman will also be joining in to help take masqueraders virtually down West Bay Road. Fetedayz iRadio from Jamaica will also be broadcasting the Cayman Carnival Batabano Virtual Street Parade live.
Five-star Akil, best known for his breakthrough singles like Partier, To Meh Heart, Noise, Islands Adventure, Never Done, and Tuh Night, said: ?This is my first ever Cayman Carnival Batabano Virtual Carnival, and you wouldn?t want to miss it! It will be a virtual concert performance, so you can get your friends and family involved, get connected and be a part of it, while staying at home.?
Mas Bands which had registered for Batabano carnival 2020 include Tribal Carnival, Fresh Carnival, Renegade Mas, Party Animals, Revel Unit, Local Carnival, Kaotic Mas Band, Mas Azucar, Iconz, Cayman Aids Foundation, Quintessential Movement, Reba Dilbert Creations, Tipsy Tomatoes, Honduras Band and Coconuts.
Image credit:Cayman Islands
