Africa will have a new carnival in beautiful Seychelles

Seychelles is planning an international carnival scheduled to take place in its capital, Victoria, in March 2011, echoing the time when Seychelles first became a melting pot of different cultures from

Seychelles is planning an international carnival scheduled to take place in its capital, Victoria, in March 2011, echoing the time when Seychelles first became a melting pot of different cultures from the four corners of the planet.
From March 4-6, 2011, Victoria is set to revisit its multi-ethic origins when the “Carnaval International de Victoria” comes to town. With participants from several countries with famous carnivals of their own, the Victoria Carnival is on course to bring the capital to life with a grand, open-air restaurant featuring food โ€“ and music โ€“ from across the world, as local hotels, in coordination with various participating countries, set up al fresco restaurants showcasing their particular cultureโ€™s culinary skills.

The official opening of the carnival, attended by visiting dignitaries from the various participating countries, will take place on the same day when the festivities are expected to last throughout the night.

Swelled by sailors from international navies whose visits are being planned to coincide with the 3-day carnival, this spectacular event will then move into the Carnival Day featuring a Carnival Procession of participantsโ€™ floats on a circular itinerary through the streets of the capital and against a backdrop of music, dance, and colorful costumes.

The event will have its very own carnival song, composed by local artists to reflect the countryโ€™s three national languages – Creole, English, and French – as well as music from the participantsโ€™ countries. The local population and visitors will all be encouraged to participate in the spirit of the carnival and its various activities.

Seychelles is also expected to add its own floats to the procession featuring the attributes of its main islands, so completing the picture of a vibrant international event celebrating the fact that Seychelles remains an important, harmonious melting pot of peoples from across the world.

THE CARNAVAL INTERNATIONAL DE VICTORIA

DAY 1

The three-day Carnival will start with a Big Open alfresco restaurant-styled activity on March 4 where the City of Victoria will be turned into an entertainment venue with music from across the world and with food from the four corners of the planet. Participating countries are being encouraged to work with local hotels to set up alfresco restaurants in Victoria to showcase the different culturesโ€™ culinary skills and delights and to sell their products to the revelers. Music and food will be setting the stage for the theme of the Carnival, “the melting pot of cultures.” The Victoria City celebrations will be a whole day and night activity where the concept of the melting pot of cultures will truly come alive.

THE OPENING CEREMONY:

The official opening of the 2011 Seychelles “Carnaval International de Victoria” will take place in the afternoon of Day 1, when visiting dignitaries, representing various participating countries, will be invited to be present to witness the official launch of the 2011 edition of the Seychelles Carnival, which will be done in the center of Victoria in the middle of the celebrations.

DAY 2

CARNIVAL DAY:

The Carnival Day itself is set for March 5 when floats will gather at the Stadium at Roche Caiman and move in a Carnival Procession from 10:00 am towards Victoria. The Carnival procession will then tour the main Victoria roads using Francis Rachel Street as its entry point and return to Roche Caiman Stadium via Independence Avenue and Francis Rachel Street. It will be a circular loop that will take the procession from Roche Caiman back to Roche Caiman, with school children, spectators, and international and local press lining the streets from start to finish.

CARNIVAL “MELTING POT OF CULTURES:”

Music and carnival costumes will be depending on the different countryโ€™s floats. Seychelles will have a carnaval song, which is being composed by a range of local artists and will take in the countryโ€™s three national languages – Creole, English, and French. Victoria will have music from different parts of the world to create the ambience of the different participating countries and set Seychelles as being truly the capital of the city that is the melting pot of cultures. After the carnival procession, the carnival participants will take the show to Victoria, supported by the local population, who will be invited to join in the spirit of the carnival with their own costumes and accessories.

DAY 3

The carnival floats will all assembled at the Roche Caiman Stadium for a “family fun day” where the different participants will mingle with the local tourist population and the Seychellois coming from all over Mahe, Praslin, La Digue, Silhouette, and the other islands. Food stalls and beverage outlets will be set right around the stadium where an “all-day musical show” will be performed by Seychellois artists and by musical and cultural groups from participating countries.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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