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| L-R: Carnival route procession coordinator, Mr. Dienbofa Ere; DG/CEO, Rivers State Tourism Development Agency, RSTDA, Dr. Sam Dede and Board Chairman, Rivers State Tourism Development Agency, Deacon Vincent Erinwo, at the media launch of Carniriv: the Port Harcourt Carnival 2014, at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Port Harcourt, Rivers State...recently. |
An estimated number of over Five Hundred
Thousand carnival lovers and participants are expected in Port Harcourt, Rivers
State, for the 2014 edition of Carniriv, the Port Harcourt Carnival, making it
the biggest carnival brands in Africa.
Speaking at an interactive session with
journalists in Port Harcourt, during the week, Director General of the Rivers
State Tourism Development Agency and veteran actor, Dr. Sam Dede announced that the 2014 edition
of the carnival, set to hold from 14th to 20th December,
will outstrip other carnivals both in scope and size with participants and
tourists drawn from Europe, Americas and the Caribbean joining their African
counterparts for the one-week fiesta.
Dr. Dede assured that security will be top
on the agenda of the Rivers State Government while stressing that the 2014
edition of Carniriv, also known as the Port Harcourt Carnival, will go down in
history as one of the best organised with new innovations such as the
introduction of the Miss Carniriv Beauty Pageant, the launch and deployment of the
biggest state-of-the-art performance stage; and increased exposure for local
artists to perform on the same stage with international stars.
Dr. Dede also told journalists about the
value-added marketing opportunities that companies and corporate bodies can
avail themselves as participants in the carnival. ‘We have opened up the
carnival for commercial exploitation from interested corporate bodies by
packaging at lease twelve signature carnival events into stand-alone brands for
category sponsorships. Each category sponsor is entitled to multiple levels of
commercial and non-commercial exploitations such as publicity, speaking
opportunities, branding, the distribution of company literatures/souvenirs and other
levels of corporate canvassing. The carnival is also up for headline
sponsorship with innumerable value propositions already lined up for the
sponsoring brand,’ he added.
Dr. Dede, an award winning Actor and
Theatre Arts lecturer also said that a cocktail of incentives await carnival
lovers this year as His Excellency, the Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi,
has insisted that the carnival is deployed as an empowerment platform for local
artists and Micro, Small and Medium scale enterprises to connect with their fan
base and clients alike and improve their business fortunes ahead of the Xmas
and New Year seasons.
Chairman of the Board of Rivers State
Tourism Development Agency, RSTDA, Deacon Vincent Erinwo, assured that the
RSTDA will judiciously expend every fund released by the government for the
purpose of the carnival while reiterating that the carnival is a project that
is dear to the heart of the people of the state.
‘We at the RSTDA, have being given a
matching order not only to put the scare funds to the best use but to also seek
for sponsorship and collaboration from both corporate and non-corporate
organisations to make the carnival a self sustaining annual exercise in line
with the vision of the state government, he said.’
Deacon Erinwo also promised that the 2014
edition of Carniriv, the Port Harcourt Carnival, which is themed as the One
Love, One People edition, will be remembered for its organisation, audience
management and satisfaction. ‘We will exceed the expectation of our guests and
indigenes alike with the quality of world class performers and chart toppers
that will grace our events for one week. I will urge interested carnival lovers
from both far and near to make early preparations in terms of visa secure and
other travel arrangements in order to witness the world-class fiesta that
awaits them from the 14th to 20th of December this year,’
he said.
Notes
to Editors:
Set to hold from 14th – 20th
of December in the Garden City, Carniriv, the Port Harcourt Carnival is the
oldest and arguably one of the biggest carnival brands on the African
continent. The first edition of the carnival was held in 1988
A total of at least twelve major events are
held every year to the delight of indigenes, participants and visitors who
throng Port Harcourt during the one week period of the show
An estimated number of over five hundred
thousand revellers including 23 local government floats and scores of
international tour groups, among others are expected at the carnival this year.
Carniriv, the Port Harcourt Carnival covers
fourteen kilometres of street parade made of colourful displays and
entertainment for people of all ages.
Some of the signature events of the
carnival set to return this year include the Kids Carnival, Praise Jam, Dance
of Fireflies, Keera – rhythm of the tribes, Egelege – champion of the sand
arena and Hosh Jam. Others are the International Aquatic Fiesta, Black African
Musical Festival (BAMFEST), Reggae 360, International Heritage Parade, Garden
City Free Style Parade and the World Peace Concert.
Carniriv, the Port Harcourt Carnival, is a
fusion of two carnivals: a purely cultural carnival and a contemporary
Caribbean style carnival.
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