Vending along Carnival route to cost $10-$15k

The Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) has announced that vending along the parade route for Guyana’s Carnival on May 26 will cost between $10,000 and $15,000. The price can be reduced, according to Mayor Ubraj Narine, as this is just the second year Carnival is being hosted and they are trying to reel in vendors while giving them an opportunity to earn a few extra dollars.
This was revealed during a press conference hosted at City Hall on Wednesday morning by Hits and Jams Entertainment, in collaboration with the M&CC.
City Hall intends to rent approximately 800 spots to vendors; however, those found without permits on Carnival day will be removed. Each spot will measure 10 feet by 10 feet.
The arrangement will remain the same for the flag raising ceremony set for the evening of May 25 at D’Urban Park. For this year’s celebration, City Hall has asked that no glass bottles be used as it intends to create a child-friendly environment.
Although the event takes into consideration the children, no trampolines will be allowed at the event so as to have persons focus their attention on the important ceremony.
On May 26, vending will be allowed at Station Street, Kitty, along Irvin Street to Church Streets, and in the vicinity of the 1763 Monument and in D’Urban Park itself.
However, no vending will be allowed within the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) area.
Deputy Director of Solid Waste Management, Floyd Rollins told Guyana Times that the team is currently going back to the drawing board as skip bins were not utilised a few weeks ago when Mashramani was held.
The idea of having garbage bags placed at each vending area is also being looked at to reduce the garbage situation.
Moreover, he warned that City Constables will be on the ground to ensure compliance in this regard and safety. In addition to this, HJ has committed to having a team clean up after the revellers so as to ease the workload of City Hall following the festivities.
Carnival 2019 is slated for May 17-27 and will see collaborations with designers and promoters from New York, the United Kingdom, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and Guyana.