KINGSTON, Jamaica — Following the conclusion of last year’s Carnival Road March, key stakeholders were the subjects of immense criticism after residents, motorists and commuters alike bemoaned the massive garbage pileup on the streets of the Corporate Area.

With this year’s Carnival experience expected to see yet another growth, promoters have sought to assure citizens that plans are in place to ensure the city is left with a spotless post-street parade.

“Last year we had what we would call over subscription in terms of spectator events. Those events whether formal or informal happened all over the city and what would have happened was that after the cleaning was done following the road parades, tens of thousands of people were just milling around Kingston and the road cleaning that was done after the bands did not extend into the night,” said Kamal Bankay, chairman of the Sports and Entertainment Network, Tourism Linkages Network. “The National Solid Waste Management would have also done cleaning throughout the night but from a resource standpoint, they did not even expect the turnout that we got last year.”

Indicating that the 2024 staging of Carnival in Jamaica was the biggest the country had seen since 2019, Bankay shared that as the clock winds down to the 2025 Road March, plans have been put in place to effectively handle that kind of patronage.

“We were re-building post-COVID and last year was what we would call the first big year we had out of COVID where everything was turning over and back to pre-COVID numbers. This year everybody knows and understands and expects exactly what the numbers are going to be. I’ve had discussions with all the stakeholders, not only with the bands but also the government agencies and JCF (Jamaica Constabulary Force), national solid waste and private cleaners and they understand where we are. Everyone is good at ensuring compliance is at the highest level.”

“The mayor has taken personal charge of ensuring everyone is compliant so Kingston will return to its normal operation and cleanliness after the Carnival,” he continued.

Streets that would usually be spotless the morning after Carnival were left in filth last year prompting a visit by the Mayor of Kingston, Andrew Swaby. Expressing disappointment with the state of the roads, Mayor Swaby shared that while there are no objections to people having fun, people must ensure garbage is collected afterwards.

READ: Kingston mayor calls meeting with Carnival organisers as Road March leaves streets of Kingston filthy

In response to the outcry, Carnival organisers pointed the fingers at unauthorised vendors and random followers who joined in on the road activities during the day.