A wide range of arts and cultural activities will this August commemorate the celebration of the city’s 175th anniversary, as the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) on Friday announced the hosting of a week-long observance for the milestone.
At a press briefing on Friday, City spokeswoman, Debra Lewis, announced that the “City Week” celebrations will begin on August 19th, with a sunrise church service at the St. George’s Cathedral.
Lewis made it clear that the festivities will be funded through sponsorship with minimum financial input from the city. She was unable to disclose how much money the council has budgeted to spend on the celebration.
M&CC’s Wesley Adams announced that this is the first celebration of its kind and one which the council will look to make an annual event. He said that the council sees the event having the potential of boosting tourism and adding revenue to the city’s coffers.
He noted further that the objective of the celebration is to create an opportunity for the “business community to showcase locally produced products and form alliances with other critical stakeholders.”
Some of the events planned are clean ups; a cocktail reception; an evening of music, art and craft exhibition along Main Street Avenue; a health fair; and a cooler fete and beach party at the Marriott Beach front.
Additionally, Adams announced that they will also host a “cultural explosion.” This event, he said, would allow the various foreign missions in Guyana to showcase their culture through food, music and art.
Most of the events Adams announced will be ticketed as they aim to raise funds for the council. He explained that the money garnered will be used to execute community projects.
Lewis said that they have already secured two sponsors and are expected to finalise sponsorship agreements with other companies by next weekend.
In February, several councillors at a statutory meeting objected to a $20 million budget allocation for the celebrations. However, Mayor Patricia Chase-Green had stated that even if a big celebration was not desired, recognition should at least be given to the day the city was “born”.
