…As Calas Vegas wins maiden prize

Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, said that making the Carnival Calabar International Festival a bigger platform remains one of his campaign promises.

Otu gave the assurance, while flagging-off the main event of the 2023 Carnival Calabar International Festival, where seven competing bands gave scintillating performances in competition for prizes.

According to him, “This is one of our campaign promises that we are definitely going to bring carnival back and on a bigger platform.

‘What you have seen is the tip of the iceberg because we are going to move it to the next level.”

He Commended sponsors for their immense support, lauding tourists, visitors, and other fun seekers for gracing Calabar with their presence and savouring the spectacle.

Meanwhile, Calas Vegas Band, which is under the tutelage of former Minister of Culture and Tourism, High Chief Edem Duke, at the end of the show at the main bowl of the U. J. Esuene Stadium, Calabar, clinched the coveted top position of N10 million of the N55 million on offer.

Passion 4, the festival’s most successful band, came second, while Seagull Band settled for the third position.

The Carnival Calabar was a display of innovation, theatre, ingenuity, culture, exhibition and interpretation of societal issues, as well as proffering of solutions.