The Ministry of Education’s Department of Culture, Youth and Sport through the Mashramani Secretariat has released a new route for the float parade in May.
Come May 26, when Guyana celebrates its 50th Independence anniversary, the rescheduled Mashramani float and costume parade will wend its way to the city from the East Coast Demerara.
The float will assemble at the University of Guyana Road on the Rupert Craig Highway and traverse the southern carriageway, leaving the northern carriage way for public viewers and vending. The parade will then make its way onto Public Road, Kitty then Vlissengen Road to Thomas Lands and into the National Park. Judges’ tents will be set up along the route as is customary.
This information was confirmed by Mashramani Coordinator Lennox Canterbury, who said the reason behind the new route, was the congestion of the city caused by the old route. Canterbury said this new route will cater for the public viewers, and he expects a mammoth crowd since persons are scheduled to return home for the big event. Moreover, he added that the new route will facilitate a much larger vending capacity, since areas along the Merriman Mall will not be able to accommodate a lot of persons desirous of vending on that day.
Though the roads which the parade will use will be closed for a few hours to vehicular traffic, the railway embankment will be utilised, Canterbury related.
Canterbury could not say if the route will remain the same for next year’s Mashramani.
The new route is approximately 3¼ miles, just like the previous route which was from Church and Camp streets, then Irving Street to Thomas Lands and into the National Park.
