After watching the news, my husband told me that there may be no Carnival this year. I was surprised, but not. Since I first played mas in DC carnival 15 years ago, it has changed so much that it is almost unrecognizable. Once I had my son, I remember taking him in his stroller at least twice, and other than the noise (which he didn’t love) there were no issues. Going into the area with the vendors and food was free, and there were no incidents.
In recent years, the event has been plagued with so many problems that I thought that the city may just shut it down. Last year I talked with a DC Carnival insider about how things went last year: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/socamom/2011/06/30/dc-carnival-controversy
This year, according the the Washington Post, it isn’t the violence or drama that may keep the parade from going down Georgia Avenue – it is the over a quarter of a million dollars that the DC Carnival organizers owe the city.
From the WashingtonPost.com –
City officials say they will not sign off on the Caribbean Carnival until the event’s organizers pay off hundreds of thousands of dollars owed to the District for police and other services provided for the 2010 and 2011 carnivals.
But the people behind the carnival say they do not have the $210,000 owed to the city.
The festival, usually staged in June on Georgia Avenue NW, celebrates pan-Caribbean culture and the carnival experience. Last year, the city allowed organizers to carry over a debt from the 2010 event, but now officials appear to be taking a harder line.
In letters to event organizers, D.C. officials have sought payment of the $210,437.38, mostly for security and public works expenses. The most recent letter, from Deputy Mayor Paul Quander said “approval of the 2012 Carnival would be contingent upon payment of any outstanding balances from the 2010 and 2011 Carnivals.”
If it isn’t cancelled, are you going? Do you think that the organizers should have to pay the city before they put on the 2012 event? Read the rest of the story on WashingtonPost.com
