Caption: Kamla Persad-Bissessar celebrates Jouvert in Barrackpore on Monday with Minister of Culture Michelle Benjamin
Summary
- Culture Minister Michelle Benjamin says artistes who performed at Flava Village will be paid.
- She insists Flava was created to expand earning opportunities amid complaints about limited airplay and bookings.
- Benjamin promises a public breakdown of allocations for artistes and Flava Village offerings, but gave no timeline.
- She calls Carnival 2026 (“Yuh Go Love This”) a “bumper” season, with $137 million in Government investment and visitor projections of 37,000—possibly surpassed.
- Flava Village drew about 200,000 patrons since January 8, peaks of 20,000 (Machel Montano) and 13,000 (Patrice Roberts), and closes February 28.
By Prior Beharry
ARTISES who performed at Flava Village at the Queen’s Park Savannah will be paid.
This was confirmed by Minister of Culture and Community Development Michelle Benjamin said on Thursday, pushing back against claims that performers were not slated to receive compensation.
Speaking at the post-Cabinet news conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s, Benjamin said the initiative was always designed to create earning opportunities for entertainers. “It was never said that artistes won’t be paid at Flava,” she said.
Benjamin said that Flava Village was introduced after repeated complaints from performers about limited radio play and difficulty securing bookings from promoters. She said the Government publicly framed the project as a way for artistes to earn, particularly those who felt shut out of traditional avenues.
She also pledged that a detailed breakdown of funds allocated for artistes and other Flava Village components would be made public, though she did not say when.
Benjamin said she wanted the country to see how Carnival-related money has been spent historically, adding that the National Carnival Commission typically covers infrastructure while the Government’s approach is aimed at “carrying the Carnival back to the people” and ensuring artistes benefit financially.
Benjamin described Carnival 2026, themed “Yuh Go Love This,” as a successful “bumper” season, reporting total Government investment of $137 million. Visitor projections stood at 37,000, she said, and early reports suggested arrivals may have surpassed that figure. She added that a detailed breakdown of overall Carnival costs would be provided within a month.
The minister said that hotel occupancy was at full capacity, with some visitors reportedly unable to find accommodation in Port of Spain.
On employment, she reported “2,000 and counting” jobs linked to the season, including 147 direct jobs, more than 400 road marshals, over 200 ushers and 83 compliance officers.
On Flava Village specifically, Benjamin said the venue drew approximately 200,000 patrons since opening on January 8. It is scheduled to close on February 28 and return next year with expanded offerings, she said. The biggest night, according to Benjamin, was “Machel Montano Friday at Flava,” attracting about 20,000 patrons, while the second-largest crowd—about 13,000—came for Patrice Roberts’ night.
