Arts and Multiculturalism Minister Winston "Gypsy" Peters says hosting the People's Band will cost approximately $1.3 million. Peters said it was "a small price to pay." He was speaking to the media after a tour of the Grand Stand, Queen's Park Savannah in Port-of-Spain yesterday. Peters said: "The People's Band is a fun band. "A band where we want everybody to have as minimal restriction as possible. "Just come in there. "All we are asking for is your good behaviour."
He said there will be a number of music trucks along with tassa groups and rhythm sections. He said people expected to participate in the band "are in Carnival every year." The minister said the band was an opportunity to allow them to play mas '"with their old costumes or your grandmother or grandfather's from years ago and you just admiring it." He said the band will have its route and guidelines will have to be adhered to. Peters said "the little people" will also have a chance to earn an income by selling along the route.
The minister also told the media there were close to 300 people employed at the construction site on the Savannah. He said: "At peak we have like 300 workers who have been working for six weeks non-stop.
"They work day and night and I want to say what make me so proud about this whole thing that we have done over here is because everything was done with local labour...locally built, local design, local ministers, local everything."