The Guyana Carnival committee is set to host a virtual masquerade parade on Independence Day, May 26, after its planned celebrations were scuttled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Guyana Carnival, now in its third year, was expected to run from May 20th to May 27th with a series of events slated for each day. However, due to the current COVID-19 outbreak, the events have been postponed until 2021, providing that the outbreak is controlled and that social gatherings are allowed.
During the time that Guyana has instituted curfew measures to contain the spread of the virus, the Guyana Carnival committee in collaboration with Duck & Drake Promotions held a series of virtual parties using conference calling application Zoom. The “Virtual Fetes” started with the “Stag in Ya Yard” on March 31st to encourage persons to stay home and adhere to the social distancing protocols. An “All Black” edition, a Pajama Party and an Old School fete have also been hosted virtually and have attracted hundreds of participants on the application and thousands of viewers on the Guyana Carnival Facebook page, where they were streamed. Other virtual fetes have been held this month.