After a three-year hiatus mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact,
the Antigua and Barbuda Festivals Commission is joining hands with the Antigua
and Barbuda Steelband Association to stage the return of Panorama for Carnival
2023.
The steel bands have already put in thousands of hours of practice and with the
show slated for August 5 at Carnival City, the pan men, and pan women are
expected to put in many more hours of preparation, in anticipation of what is
expected to be one of the biggest shows in the 2023 carnival programme.
Eight steel bands will take part in the competition. The steel bands and their
renditions on the night of the competition are as follows:
Halcyon Steel Orchestra – Up and Jumping – Redding
Original Steel Orchestra – Not U – Claudette Peters
Harmonites Steel Orchestra – Tanya – Menace XL
WIOC Gemonites Steel Orchestra – Festival Day – Carl ‘Pan Man’ Richards
CUB Hell’s Gate Steel Orchestra – No Weapon – Tian Winter
Westside Symphony Steel Orchestra – Stressless – Claudette Peters
Panache Steel Orchestra – Benna Benna – Burning Flames
Cool and Smooth Ebonites Steel Orchestra – Roaming – Tian Winter
Panorama was last held in 2019. Carnival 2020 and 2021 were cancelled because
of the pandemic and last year, the pan fraternity staged a ‘pan show’ stating that
they did not have ample time to properly prepare for a competition. They gave
assurances to the Commission and to the public that for Carnival 2023, they will all
fully participate in Panorama.
State Insurance Corporation is the title sponsor of the competition.
