The safety of revellers and bystanders during the various Carnival parades is a high priority for officials.

According to Sub-committee Chair of Mas and Parades Marcelle Freeland several measures are being put in place to ensure there are no mishaps on the road.

“Yes, well luckily we now have a parade safety committee in place and last evening we did have a meeting with the mas troops and I have to say thank you to everyone for turning out and we did explain when the vehicles will be inspected and all of these things and the safety booklet, they all will have that. So, they have their guidelines, rules and regulations and of course, first aid kits and fire extinguishers are a must,” Freeland said.

These parades include LIAT T-shirt Mas on July 26, Children’s Carnival on July 27, Jouvert and Monday Mas on August 4 and Parade of Bands and Last Lap on August 5.

Where bystanders are concerned, Freeland did advise them to not gather around corners and to adhere to the safety officials on parade days.

“We’re working on putting some kind of barriers mechanisms in place along with the law enforcement and the safety committee, so we’re working on those things. But at this time, I know around Redcliffe Street, Independence Avenue area usually have some good viewpoints that they could utilize and also on Queen Elizabeth Highway, we have those pastures on both sides of the street so there are areas that can be utilized.

“We just want to ensure persons keep the corners clear and not to encourage the patrons to walk through the mas troops as well because that is a big, big concern with the mas troops. So, we’re going to try as much as possible to not have the general public walking through the mass troops. It is their time, so they need to feel free to do what they want without having to watch that the general public is walking through,” Freeland added.

Antigua Carnival 2025 will run from July 25-August 5 under the theme ‘It’s A Vibe’.