Skinner Park San Fernando, Trinidad, now boasts a new and improved look; the newly refurbished venue was handed over to the City of San Fernando on Monday 6 February, just in time for Carnival 2023.
The works to the 100-year-old facility, which is at the core of Trinidad and Tobago’s cultural and sporting history, cost TT $131 million. The renovation included the demolition, design and construction of stands, as well as the refurbishment of the field and cycling track. The facility now seats 6000 people.
Speaking at the launch of the iconic venue, Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley remarked that culture is at the forefront of the government’s agenda. Meanwhile, the Mayor of San Fernando, Junia Regrello, celebrated the return of the facility. He recalled witnessing Hasely Crawford make his debut there, as a primary school student. Also mentioning cycling stars Roger Gibbon and Fitzroy Hoyte, saying, “They made a name for themselves on this very ground.”
“It is on this ground that we had a space for the arts and culture when Naparima Bowl was burned down in the 1970s. We moved the calypso semifinals to Skinner Park, and it became the Calypso Fiesta,” he recalled.
The 2023 Calypso Fiesta is the first major event to be hosted at the newly refurbished venue. The event, scheduled to take place on February 11, will see 40 calypsonians vie for places in the Calypso Monarch final.
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