Crop Over has taken another blow as promoters of Rise Barbados have postponed their highly anticipated summer event to escape further fallout from the global COVID-19 crisis.
In the absence of a final decision from Government on the premier cultural and revenue-earning festival, promoters are preparing to offer refunds, saying they can no longer delay their decisions or make further investments amid the growing uncertainty.
In an emotional social media post, the group announced: “After much consideration and deliberation surrounding the global pandemic of COVID-19, the Rise Barbados team is saddened to announce our decision to postpone Rise 2020, scheduled for July 29th.”
Citing social and economic reasons and the widespread nature of the disease, organizers said their decision arose out of an abundance of concern for the safety of patrons, team members, and other “stakeholders”.
Rise, which attracts hundreds of patrons usually features a lineup of leading deejays and soca artistes days before the climax of Crop Over.
This development comes just one week after a similar decision was taken by Twisted Entertainment, which postponed its July 19 Tipsy All-White Beach Party.
Organisers made the despite a definitive position on the Crop Over festival, which provides employment for scores of Barbadians and attracts millions of dollars in foreign exchange.
Communications Consultant for Rise Barbados DeCarla Applewaite told Barbados TODAY that with industry discussions currently at a standstill, promoters were forced to make a decision sooner rather than later.
“A lot of planning takes place which includes discussions with artistes and sponsors and a lot of it is at a standstill. We are in a wait and see mode and we don’t know when an all-clear can be given. But an event like Carnival that is filled with dancing and enjoyment is all about closeness at a time when people are being asked to distance themselves,” she explained.
“At the same time, many of the festival organisers cannot simply focus on what is happening here, because Crop Over is a time when tourists come in and families are reunited and with COVID-19, all of that is up in the air,” Applewaite added.
In another recent interview, lead promoter of Rise, Orlando Newton revealed that in some cases promoters invest as much as 40 per cent of their event costs prior to the shows, which could amount to massive losses.
When asked to give some insight into the full economic impact, the communications consultant noted that even when events appear successful, profits are not always guaranteed and the impact of abrupt cancellations could be even worse. Applewhite also hinted that players in the entertainment industry would be likely to struggle even after the threat of COVID-19 passes.
“Large numbers of people are being laid off and people say that things like entertainment don’t die, but when people are trying to get back on their feet and rebuild their savings, people will not necessarily be spending money on events,” she said.
Nevertheless, Applewaite said the promotion team is eyeing a new date sometime in or after September.
“Don’t worry. Tickets already purchased will be honoured on the new date,” the event’s social media page assured, adding that refunds would be issued from May 1st.
