Crop Over Correct Day!!!

Saturday June 8, 2019, the official public launch of the Crop Over Festival, is also the date that the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) has dubbed the Crop Over Correct Day and they are calling for Barbadians to wear bright festive colours and to continue on that thread every Friday for the entire season, as well as for businesses to decorate their offices.

They are hoping for a kaleidoscope in Speightstown when the First Citizens Crop Over Launch and Ceremonial Delivery of the Last Canes gets underway and for the first time, the Foundation will be launching everything in unison including its branding from Speightstown to the Grantley Adams International Airport.

NCF Marketing Officer, Ashley Dyall explained that the Crop Over Correct slogan was conceptualised on the premise that this festival is different for everyone and so being Crop Over Correct is just what makes the individual’s Crop Over the best that it could be. “Some people have said that their Crop Over is not ‘correct’ unless they have played mas’, or according to others only the music and the vibe can make their Crop Over Correct,” she emphasised.

“The millennial generation views the festival different from the previous generations, some of them are what we call carnival hoppers, and they are carnival correct, but we want them to be Crop Over Correct and to push the brand wherever they go,” Dyall continued.

Crop Over is about colour and festivity; it gives a sense of freedom that is not expressed all year round. She went on to paint the image of Bridgetown all dressed in florescent colours, noting that it is expected to be a national event and that the NCF is hoping every Barbadian will get involved.

This view was also echoed by NCF’s Senior Business Development Officer, Andre Hoyte who said, “We are looking to have 100% participation.”

The NCF has been making an attempt to bring smaller businesses on board, Hoyte stated. It gives them the opportunity to get their business noticed at a time when they have premium audience and listenership. He noted that these businesses might not be able to attain the level of an event sponsor, but there are plenty packages available for businesses of all sizes.

To date the initiative has been widely successful, said Hoyte, as he expressed the NCF’s hope to have 1,000 businesses with the designation ‘Crop Over Correct’ by the end of the festival.

The Foundation has already signed on over 30 businesses in Speightstown alone to coincide with the Journey to the Last Cane event this weekend. Dyall and Hoyte were both in agreement on the fact that the entire island should be reflective of Crop Over. It should not only be visibly evident when you walk into a business, but you should also feel the vibe.

Mr. Hoyte hopes even more businesses will join in as time goes on, as the plan is to spread the “festival fever” on a grand scale like the organisation has never done before. He and his team are ready to work with businesses to create promotions and spread the Crop Over experience.