New York Steelband Panorama 2009 Preview

New York Steelband Panorama 2009 Preview Still no ‘Carlos Lezama Outdoor Theater’ or ‘Rudy King Performance Center’ New York, USA - In a couple of weeks one of the greatest musical contests on the North American continent will commence. The New York exposé of the annual steelband music competition branded as “Panorama” all over the world, takes place on September 5th at the Brooklyn Museum Grounds. The New York amalgamation of this Trinidad and Tobago (the steelpan birth place) creation, is unique and full of artistic intrigue, drama and expectations -- not to mention, politics. In addition, the event is tracked, followed and reviewed by tens of thousands of music lovers all over the world. The panorama enthusiasts can be fervent, passionate and emotionally tied to all aspects of the occasion. The conservative estimate is that the Labor Day carnival festivities contribute upwards of $200,000,000.00 (two hundred million dollars) to the New York City economy. The New York Yankees, Mets, Giants and Jets have all gotten new stadiums. And the Nets will soon have a stadium in Brooklyn. Yet there still is no performance facility that caters to the needs and specifics of the carnival activities. click for more

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  • Funds cannot be separated for specifics relative to a performance facility catering to the carnival activities as such when you consider how many cops are put to work and how much overtime, double and triple time salaries they are paid. Last year I witnessed the confusion created by having all those cops about the place, preventing band members from meeting their respective bands and/or trucks with music going up Eastern Parkway. They demanded that we, the people, walk in specific patterned lines observed by the overhead police helicopters last year. They did their best to deter us from getting to the Parkway. This is an event that we participate in yearly, and it is okay to have a certain amount of police policing the place, but not to control things the way they did. I am glad we behaved ourselves and didn't get out of hand.
  • It is obvious that while Toronto embraces an nurtures its Caribana, The City of New York only tolerates its Caribbean festival.

    Toronto realizes the economic potential of the festival and seems to be nurturing it, while New York ignores it.

    Toronto is destined to become the biggest and most lucrative Caribbean style carnival outside of Trinidad, if it isn't already so.
    This is also reflected in the city's treatment of its premier pan festival, the Panorama which is probably the best festival of this type outside of T&T
    • Glenroy where are you getting this information from?

      Are you saying that Caribana generates 200,000,000 dollars for the Toronto economy?
      How is Toronto nurturing the festival?
      How does the Caribbean community benefit?
      Isn't it true that the original organizers of caribana were removed from control of the festival by the local authorities/government who in turn now manage it mainly?

      Are you saying Toronto's panorama is equal to New York's panorama?
      If so in what way?
      Have you ever been to New York panorama?
      • Sorry about that, I wasn't too clear. When I said city I meant New York City. New York's panorama is the best one outside of T&T IMHO.

        .I was trying to suggest that the Carabana seems to be observed and promoted in Toronto by the city in a way that doesn't seem to be the case for the Festival in New York.

        Thus the Panorama is not appreciated and promoted as it should be.

        I've only been to the New York panorama once years ago, but I possess video and audio of the contemporary New York band performances, and am highly impressed by their high standards.

        From what I can gather in these forums, the music may be better appreciated on Cd and DVD media anyway.
  • Good suggestions
    • Labor Day carnival festivities contribute upwards of $200,000,000.00 (two hundred million dollars) to the New York City economy???? Really? That much? Not saying this is false but I'm just trying to figure out how.
      • And if true, where does it go? A lot of people may be oblivious to that factor too......does it go back into the neighborhood??
      • CongaHead

        I believe the year was 2003 when the city itself did a study on the economic value of the Labor Day Carnival and admitted it was about one hundred million dollars. That was six years ago. If you have four million people engaged in carnival activities over a three day weekend and they spend an average of fifty dollars per person over that period, two hundred million is nothing to achieve.

        Personally I think it is more than two hundred million when you factor in public transportation. Many of the stores as much as six block away from the parade route have said that this is the biggest day of the year for them.

        The sad thing is that the panorama prize is only twenty thousand dollars.

        bugs
        • Very True, Thanks for the info
  • This is a matter of corruption and gross incompetence. Pan people need to get rid of USSA ASAP and deal directly with the city for themselves.

    Forget Mas people - they just want to wine all day.
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