The pan players of Sweet Pan Entertainment SXM.
PHILIPSBURG--The St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) will host a steel band concert at Carnival Village on Tuesday, April 21, as part of Carnival 2020. Entitled, “Carnival Pan Explosion 2020”, the event will showcase three of the island’s best steel bands as well as a prolific drum band of youngsters. The event is sponsored by telecommunications company TelEm.
Ebony Steel Orchestra, French St. Martin’s The Gunslingers Steel Band, and Sweet Pan Entertainment SXM will all be on stage that night. The three steel bands will be complemented by the youngsters of Generation New Status Drum Band.
Mighty Dow will lead his Ebony Steel Orchestra.
“We are working hard on re-instilling large parts of our culture back into Carnival activities. This is not a new process for us,” said SCDF Alston Lourens. “We have started a few years [back – Ed.] already with our official culture nights, our cook-up competitions, our focus on local bands, involving more youth, efforts to restart junior calypso, which is still a work in progress, and more. We can’t get it all done in one year, but we are getting there.”
Lourens said he expects an energetic show from all steel bands. “These are the best in the business; our best pan players in one place. It’s culture, it’s music, it will be a good time and we are looking forward to great support from the public for all of these great players,” he said.
French St. Martin’s The Gunslingers Steel Band will also be part of Carnival Pan Explosion.
