NEW VENUE FOR DC CARNIVAL?

The news of the annual Caribbean Carnival Parade might be canceled because of mounting debt associated with the event was certainly a downer, but it's not final—at least not yet.

Aides to Councilmember Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4) tell us that they're working to find a new location for the parade, which started in 1993 and takes place along a stretch of Georgia Avenue NW. The president of the parade, Roland Barnes, seemed to hint as much when he was quoted by The City Paper , "Unless someone is able to wave a magic wand in the next 24 hours, there will be no parade on Georgia Avenue." (Emphasis ours.)

According to TBD, similar financial woes last year led organizers to consider scrapping the parade and instead moving the whole festival to the grounds around RFK Stadiuum.

The phone at the office of the carnival's organizers was busy this afternoon, but we'll have more once we get more details of possible new locations.

UPDATE, 4 p.m. yesterday: The parade's organizers response on its Facebook page, further denying that the parade would be canceled:

This morning the DC City Paper wrote an article that states DC Carnival is Cancel. This is not true. We attended a meeting last night with the lower Georgia Avenue Business Community to provide an update on DC Carnival 2012. We express the financial challenges the Carnival is facing with respect to City services and that we are exploring alternatives to Georgia Avenue this year. We never mentioned canceling the Carnival but I guess this makes for bigger and better news. This confirm to us that we are facing an uphill battle to sustain our culture in this ever changing DC community. We no longer can depend on the City to help us. This is a wake up call for us to help ourself. If we do not mobilize as a community and show the City that we are important and we do make a difference then the headlines might prove to be true.

DC CARNIVAL LAUNCH

DC Carnival 12-Hour Dance-A-Thon and 

Official DC Carnival Launch

Location	The Newly Renovated Trinidad & Tobago Association 5123 Georgia Avenue, NW
More Info	DC Caribbean Carnival, Inc., presents a Fundraiser in support of DC Carnival 2011 with a "12-Hour Dance-A-Thon" followed by the "Annual Glorious Saturday Fete"- Officially Launching DC Carnival 2011. Dancing Starts from 4:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. Applications are available for Dancers. Grand Prize for Winning Dancer. Music Provided by DJs: Sprang Intl., Andy Mix, Hazzard, Super Slice, Shiloh Intl., Spyda the DJ, Wayne, Ghost , plus a host of other DJs Entrance Fee: $20 www.dccarnival.org, www.savedccarnival.org, info@dccaribbeancarnival.org  202-726-2204 Support DC Carnival June 25-26, 2011

NO DC CARNIVAL

DC CARNIVAL 2011 which would have been scheduled to be June 25th this year, just MAY not happen. DC CARNIVAL is the carnival that tends to jump start the carnival seasons because its the first big one in the United States!  (Yes, I know about Atlanta, but to those who simply drive to DC from New York, Pennsylvania, Boston, New Jersey, etc its only a couple hours away and a quick fix home, unlike Atlanta's long distance).

From the reports that I have gotten, the carnival committee had their last meeting as recent as LAST NIGHT and no final decision has been made because plain talk, bad manners THERE IS NO MONEY!!!!!  This recession is kicking the A$$ of everything and everyone! As this was the same problem with Florida's major Miami/Broward Carnival remember?

What the committee HAS decided is that if the carnival CAN be salvaged, it may be 1. Scheduled for a later date as they understand that band leaders need time for registrations and costume making or 2. Include more teeshirt and jouvert-like bands hopes of trying to keep the carnival at its scheduled date.

Whatever they decide to do, I hope they do it soon as masqueraders on the east coast are getting nervous.