Popular Crop Over J’ouvert Puff Of Color (POC) has been postponed.
This was announced in a statement by the POC team which noted that the event which was scheduled for July 8, 2023 has been delayed to due ‘recent events’.
“Unfortunately, we have felt the impact of recent events, and as a result, some of the legal cover we needed to move forward with the event was withheld due to concerns raised on the perceived risks of J’ouvert events.
Although those wheels have finally started turning, the delay in timing has resulted in some unforeseen changes in our plan for this year’s instalment, and it would be impossible to execute at the standard we believe our patrons deserve”
The statement added: “The decision to postpone is unfortunately an immediate one, so we will need a little time to rearrange the event and determine details for the next Puff of Colour. We will
therefore have an update for ticket holders within the next few days.”
The postponement follows several incidents which occurred at a similar type of event last weekend. Powda, one of the larger j’ouverts in the country, was forced to end prematurely after scores of non-patrons stormed and breached security fences to enter the event. The incident gained national attention, as several fights occurred and an off-duty police officer was stabbed.
This incident resulted in calls from the public for more security at Crop Over events.