PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — The activity inside of Carnival Village increased over the Easter weekend as booth holders started to move into the Village in preparation for the official opening of Carnival on April 16.
The St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) will also be relocating its operations to the Village this week. The foundation will, as usual, operate out of the conference room that overlooks the Village. It will be housed here until the close of Carnival on May 4.
Pick-up trucks loaded with material for the various booths started rolling into the Village on Easter Monday. Booth holders and their helpers immediately got busy setting up their kitchens, painting, setting up music and other equipment. The iconic image of barbeque grills will start popping up later this week.
The various corporate sponsors of the SCDF will also begin branding the Village this week which adds to the overall festive look. All preparation must be in place two days prior to the opening of Carnival when the first safety, fire and health inspections are scheduled to take place. Random inspections continue throughout the Carnival season.
“If you are not directly involved in Carnival you might not know that moving into Carnival Village is really an exciting time. It’s like moving into your home for the first time. Everyone is happy and eager. So eager in fact, that some booth holders stay late at night with friends, having a great time in anticipation of the season,” President of the SCDF Mike Granger said.
“The Village is our home for the next month. It is the heart and soul of Carnival, the epicenter of everything that is Carnival. So to say we’re very excited to be in here is always an understatement. We are getting ready to celebrate life,” he added.
