Changes have been put in place for the biggest steel pan event during this year’s Crop Over Festival.
However, organisers have promised that those changes were made to ensure patrons can be better accommodated.
Cultural Officer for Music at the National Cultural Foundation, Kevin Moore, made that point yesterday during a site visit for Republic Bank Pandemonium at the National Botanical Gardens.
“We had to do things differently. This location accommodates way more persons and there is a bigger public viewing. While at the beach, the right side of the event would have been cut off by the [water] and we could only accommodate persons directly on the sand as persons would have been encumbered by the road.
“However here we don’t have that issue,” Moore said.
In previous years, a similar event, Pan Pun De Sand, was staged at Brandon’s Beach in St Michael.
He added that although the COVID-19 pandemic affected the eight steel bands and the National Youth Orchestra, they would be ready for Sunday.
“Most of the steel pan players continued with their craft throughout COVID, it was just a matter of coming together to rehearse. However, once restrictions were lifted everyone was able to come together to practise. So the group has been together preparing for this event,” he added.
During the free event which begins at 2 p.m., there will also be performances from Mikey, Biggie Irie, Alison Hinds, Lead Pipe and Saddis.
There will be a Kids’ Zone and games such as Warri and dominoes can also be played. (TG)