AS the Genesis X Utopia week of carnival events are set to commence next week, the ‘Around the World’ theme is expected to take centre stage for the upcoming carnival parade during Cricket Carnival later this year.

The Guyana Carnival, birthed from Hits and Jams Entertainment, launched the ‘Around the World’ theme at the end of 2019 for its 2020 carnival celebrations. The Genesis Band launch in 2019 was done at the MovieTowne Guyana parking lot at an event titled, “Soca in The Parking Lot.”

It was then that a preview of the costumes, named after various countries, were shown to the public. “Iceland,” “Egypt,” “Dubai,” “India,” “Thailand,” and “Brazil” were the sections then. These costumes were designed by local, regional and international designers.

At that launch, the designers were tasked with adjusting the costumes to all body types in the sections.

Since then, the Guyana Carnival did not return, until now, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Determined to give patrons and their regular supporters something to enjoy during the pandemic, the Guyana Carnival Committee engaged in several virtual events which were held, using the online conferencing platform, Zoom.

The events were also streamed on various social media websites.

The virtual fetes included the “Stag In Ya Yard” event, a pajama party, and an old-school fete, which attracted scores of participants on the conferencing platform and even more viewers on the social media sites.

The vision at that time was to create an environment for persons to have fun from the comfort of their homes without the risk of contracting the dreaded disease.

Among the virtual events hosted was the virtual masquerade parade, held on Independence Day 2020, aimed at creating a ‘vibe’ for persons to feel as though they were on the road in their exquisitely designed costumes.

That virtual celebration included live performances by local artistes, and a line up of DJs.

Virtual events were also held in 2021 as the pandemic continued spreading in countries across the world; however, with the reduced COVID-19 cases and gradual reopening, the stage is set for events to be held along with a planned carnival parade set for later this year.

With the carnival parade, it is unclear whether more costume sections will be added for the upcoming parade. (Shamar Meusa)