It’s a celebration all around for traditional Vincy Mas revellers as Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves has given the go-ahead for the carnival’s staging this year.

In a radio interview on Sunday (January 30), Gonsalves said: “It was decided clearly that we will have Carnival this year.”

The prime minister however noted that the scale of this year’s staging would be largely dependent on the country’s total vaccination rate.

As of Sunday, the health authorities had administered some 63,669 doses of COVID-19 vaccines. It is hoped that, over the months of February and March, they will be able to ramp up vaccination efforts with the hope of vaccinating 70 per cent of the 80,000 people who are 12 years and older.

Owing to the coronavirus pandemic, Vincy Mas has not been held for the past two years and, in light of this, a concerted effort is being made to realise this year’s staging.

According to Gonsalves: “Every society needs occasions when you have releases. It’s a catharsis. You’re doing work all the time and you have to have something which you let off your energy…” this would be where carnival which is as much a cultural event as it is an economic driver comes in.

In addition to the pandemic, St Vincent and the Grenadines was last year affected by the explosive eruption of La Soufriere volcano and the impact of Hurricane Elsa.

Given this, Gonsalves relayed: “It has been a difficult time for our nation. And in addition to the cultural dimension, and in addition to the economic, there is a need for some kind of collective relief.”

Earlier this month, Carlos James, St Vincent’s minister of culture, had proposed an out of the normal comeback for Vincy Mas by exploring options to host the first-ever Carnival in the Metaverse.

Simply put, partying in the Metaverse would mean utilising 3D mixed concepts to fuse a real-world platform with a digital world, in which people live, work and play. 

At the time, James indicated that the new direction was a result of the pandemic which has forced the world to reimagine the way in which things are done.

James stated: “It is therefore only natural that St Vincent and the Grenadines will be the first Caribbean island and possibly the first country in the world to explore and begin the exploration of the possibility of hosting its first Carnival within the Metaverse.” 

It was not immediately clear from the prime minister’s latest interview whether considerations are still being given to having a Metaverse Mas.

READ: Carnival in the Metaverse? St Vincent could become first to host