I am surprised that there has been no discussion of the recently (October 19th) released schedule of events for the 2017 Panorama. There has been discussion about boycotting Panorama, but nothing about the significantly revised schedule.
First, the October 19th release is quite different than the schedule that was available some time ago on the WST events calendar, it appears that that schedule is being updated as I am posting. WST does have the new schedule under a link above entitled "Panorama Schedule 2017, or you can see it on the Pan Trinbago website.
Now the major changes I see: The large bands now have a true preliminary, but still in the panyards. There appear to be 19 large bands, 14 make it to the semis, 10 to the finals.
The large band preliminaries have been moved earlier by a week from previous years. The East zone panyard visits/Preliminaries are Monday, January 30th, almost 4 weeks before the large/medium finals, Saturday February 25th. If you want to make it to the Large Band Preliminaries, you'll have to spend a week or more longer in Trinidad.
The Single Pan competitions have been moved completely out of the traditional Carnival period. The Preliminaries start January 11th, the Finals are January 28th, 4 weeks before the large/medium finals, and two days before the conventional band preliminaries begin. Doesn't look like many expats and Carnival tourists will make any of the Single Pan events.
All the preliminaries, both Single Pan and all categories of Conventional are being judged in the panyards this year. The results of the conventional preliminaries won't be released (officially) until February 8th, only 4 days before the semi-finals. Not much time to change the arrangements based on the scoresheet comments (not that there was with the old schedule, either). And some of the bands will have a 9 day vacation after their preliminary, others find out the next day after their preliminary. Note also that there are multiple preliminaries on any given night, and that the preliminaries for the small and medium bands in any given zone extend over multiple nights, as they would have to, considering the logistics of panyard judging.
The Small Band finals (without the Single Pan Bands) is Thursday February 23rd, in Skinner Park
The Junior Panorama remains the Sunday before the conventional Panoramas. The Large Band (10 bands) and Medium Bands (10 bands) panorama is unchanged, the Saturday before Carnival.
I'm curious what others think about this schedule, bandleaders, players, supporters, expats who come to Trinidad every year for Carnival. I know this schedule makes it difficult for me to arrive before the Conventional preliminaries.
Replies
Ref: http://panonthenet.com/tnt/2017/schedule.htm
I'm seeing that there will be no Semifinal for Single Pan Bands, which means that from the 60-odd bands that perform in the Prelims, 20 are going straight to a Final on January 28. There will be no more than about 18 or so Large bands and they have a Semis Final of 14 bands. Similarly there are about 30 or so Medium bands, they too have a Semi of 14. Small likewise are about 60 by now and they too have a Semi of 20....So how come they arrive at no Semis for the Single Pan Bands?....lol...I guess when you too small yuh bound to ketch hell...
Merrytones, Claude, PJJ
Trini pan mad as hell over the schedule changes. Its all over social media. And players want their money. Imagine that Single-Pan leading the revolt.
bugs
...and maybe they should too Bugs...I can’t see the sense of having a competition with 69 entrants, no Semi Final and the selecting the top 20 preliminary placings for a final. Maybe Pan Trinbago really want to kill off the Single Pan category but as usual they don't have the testicular fortitude to do so…
Merrytones & Bugs: Ease that concussion that Keith Diaz is giving you by tuning in to TNT tonight and watching the greatest basketball team in NBA history.
Tipoff: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Oracle Arena.
TV: TNT.
2015-16 records: Warriors 73-9, No. 1 in the Western Conference. Spurs 67-15, No. 2 in the Western Conference.
This schedule will really test Glenroy's theory that Pan can survive outside the Carnival season in T&T. I don't the Single Pan bands can survive this move. .
bugs
Budget cut or no budget cut Diaz and his boys have to full their pockets at PANORAMA TIME. So we shuffling the deck and setting up the players for the THREE CARD MONTE.
PJJ: I only noticed yesterday that they had changed the preliminary dates which has put my holiday plans in disarray as I will now miss listening to my band in the panyard because I am arriving a week too late!
With all this judging in the panyards, many bands will never leave their yard for the season. And since this was a cost cutting move, it is not likely that we will ever see the return of preliminaries being held where all the bands in a region are present in a single venue for Panorama. Culturally speaking this will have a devastating effect on the bands that can't make it to the semi-finals. Bands that can't make it out their yard will die unless they are a school band. On the flip side of this less bands in Trinidad and Tobago under this current scheme is a good thing from an economic and marketing perspective.
bugs
Bugs: Cost cutting move #2 would be to drastically reduce the number of players in each category. What stupidness I suggesting this morning boy, the players eh getting pay anyway.
Not in 2016 and not in 2017.
Merrytones: The Minister of Culture give DIAZ the green light to manage as he sees fit -- why yuh want to fight City Hall.
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