Event

The Department of Creative and Festival Arts (DCFA) presents a carnival heritage fair and showcase for Carnival:  The Old Yard: A meeting of the masquerade traditions. 

Be treated to performances by traditional mas characters, vintage kaiso, pan, and local food and drink, on Sunday February 23, 2014, from noon, at the DCFA, Agostini Street, St. Augustine.  

A special feature of this year’s installment of The Old Yard will be the Barbados Landship Movement. This group mimics the British Navy with performances that symbolize and reflect the middle passage experiences during the transatlantic slave trade. 

Cost: Adults: $50 | All inclusive: $200 

Children: $30 | All inclusive: $100 

***Please note that all $200 Adult lagniappe Tickets have been sold.

CONTACT: 663-2222 or 662-2002 ext. 82510 

More about the Old Yard 

The Old Yard was brought to life by the DCFA, upon invitation by Val Rogers, Committee Chair of the annual traditional Carnival hallmark event Viey la Cou to take over its management and operation. In recognising the value and significance of Viey la Cou to the Carnival landscape of Trinidad and Tobago, DCFA aims to maintain the essence of Viey la Cou while adding a new flavour of tradition in a dynamic way, through its own event concept.                           

Thus, The Old Yard was born. Situated on the grounds of DCFA at Agostini Street St. Augustine - an actual yard, complete with an architectural style reminiscent of long ago - this event promises to offer a dynamic mix of a journey into cultural history and a carnival masquerade showcase in the format of a heritage fair.  

The Old Yard offers a showcase of carnival masquerade traditions of Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean and the Americas as a way of extending these traditions beyond their historical location and stimulating contemporary imaginations. The event takes its patrons on a journey of heritage traditions of the carnival masquerade that allows for their engagement through various ways.  

The Old Yard celebrates communal life, presented as experiences that are both enjoyable and educational. These include:  

- re-creation of the event setting as a replica of the “old yard” of carnival long ago

- event hosting by carnival characters in role

- presentation of and interaction with living culture-bearers

- offer of experiential activities for young patrons

- sale of complementary memorabilia produced by DCFA

- dramatic displays and exhibitions linked to cultural research within and outside of the UWI