NCC Launches The John Cupid Carnival Village at Queen’s Park Savannah - "Traditions of Carnival"

Port of Spain, Trinidad, February 5, 2020: Packed with performances from some of the biggest names in Calypso and Soca today and featuring a wide range of cultural, traditional and culinary offerings from around Trinidad and Tobago, the John Cupid Carnival Village launches on Thursday, February 6 at 7 pm at the Queen’s Park Savannah.

The Village, which has been a staple of the local Carnival calendar for close to a decade, has been renamed in honour of John Gladstone Cupid, who died on October 9, 2017 at the age of 88. This year’s theme is “Traditions of Carnival.”

A celebrated researcher, historian, organiser, and cultural visionary, Cupid was a cultural stalwart whose creative body of works, spanning decades, includes the creation of the Emancipation Day celebrations and Point Fortin Borough Day. He was also instrumental in the successful running of the Prime Minister's Best Village Trophy Competition, as well as the Canboulay Riots re-enactments that are held each year on Carnival Friday at Piccadilly Greens, Port of Spain.

NCC Chairman, Winston “Gypsy” Peters, commented on the decision to rename the village as a tribute to Cupid’s remarkable legacy and invaluable contributions through the years.

“John walked an honourable path in celebrating our rich and diverse cultural heritage. He worked tirelessly and he often did so without any formal expression of gratitude. For him, the journey was equally as important as the destination, and he cared most about preserving our ways of life for future generations to benefit from, as well as carry forward.”

“The Carnival Village is a place where cultural, musical, and artistic creativity can be showcased, not just for the people of our country, but also for the people of the world who have before and will come again to our shores for Carnival.”

“It is an investment that we know John supported and loved, and we are pleased that we can forever honour his legacy with this move that publicly connects his memory and vision with what the NCC is proud to give to the people.”

Free and open to the public, the John Cupid Carnival Village will feature a wide variety of affordably priced local cuisine, arts and crafts and top notch entertainment. The Village runs from 2-10 pm daily and ends on February 20.

Along with the daily lineups, there are special signature days planned including “Tobago Night” on Saturday, February 8 and a tribute day to Lutalo Masimba (Brother Resistance) on Sunday February 16.

For more information, interested persons may call the NCC at 622-1670 or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Entertainment lineups will be posted on the NCC’s Facebook and Instagram as well.