Bridgetown Market 2024 Draws Mixed Reactions from Vendors at Crop Over Festival

The highly anticipated Bridgetown Market 2024 promised a grander and more vibrant experience than previous years, but the event has sparked mixed reaction from vendors regarding its organisation and execution.

Broken down into two components, the event, a staple of the annual Crop Over festival put on by the National Cultural Foundation (NCF), provides a platform to widen sales opportunities for artisans and other creatives, as well as businesses situated in the capital and along the iconic Mighty Grynner (formerly the Spring Garden) Highway.

On Saturday, in Golden Square Freedom Park and Jubilee Gardens, Barbadians and visitors were welcomed to sample local culinary delights and purchase uniquely local creations.

The other component of Bridgetown Market saw the action shift to the Princess Alice Highway on to the iconic Mighty Grynner Highway on August 3, 4, and 5, widening the entertainment options for festival goers.

Despite this, some vendors complained of a slow start and logistical challenges when the event opened along the Mighty Grynner Highway on Saturday.

One vendor, who did not want to be named, expressed disappointment over the lack of advertising and essential facilities.

“They haven’t been advertising this part of the highway yet. So, you know, it’s supposed to be bigger. Yes, they’re starting from Pelican, but this part of the highway has not been advertised,” said the vendor.

“As you can see at this time, we normally have down here full of people. I mean, it’s not jam-packed yet, but there’s hardly anybody around. Then we have no bathrooms. You have problems with the electricity and other areas. People came and cut the grass only yesterday (Friday), and the event started today (Saturday). So, it’s very difficult. I mean, we are in shock because it seems as if the people at the top don’t seem to know what’s happening.”

Communication with the NCF also appeared to be a problem, especially on the matter of portable toilets.

“Yes, they said that a lot of the bathrooms seem to have been at other events. So, they’re waiting on them to come. But this is a premier event. This is supposed to be where it’s happening. So, I would have expected that, you know, all those things would have been in place. I mean, honestly, in order to use the bathroom, you got to run behind your trees over there. That’s the truth,” she said.

Another suggested improvement. “More advertising, for sure, if this is what you’re going to do. I have everything organised.”

Confusion over operating hours was another concern. “I can’t remember them giving us hours, and that’s another thing. Some people are saying 11 to 11, and then other people are saying 3 to 11. So we don’t even know. If you look on their site, you will see 3 to 11. And if you look on this site, you will also see that it ends on July 27th. Crop Over. Yeah, it doesn’t go on to August 4th.”

Despite the issues, some vendors remained optimistic. Tanya Alleyne from Plush Enterprises, participating for the first time, shared her excitement: “This is my first experience as a vendor at Bridgetown Market and the first experience for a long time coming as an adult. So, I am excited to see the process and how it goes from the eyes of a vendor and also from seeing it now. I am excited about the promises of not just the sales, but interactions and stuff like that.”

Alleyne noted early business activity, stating, “We’ve met a lot of people and transacted, and even though you don’t make the sale, you make the connection, you network, and there are promises of orders and promises of interaction, even collabs. So, that is always a good thing, and we will see if the actual sales come on today.”

But the same could not be said for another vendor, plying her trade with self made and designed dresses. She told Barbados TODAY that she was frustrated with changes made to the event over the years. “I’ve been coming here back in 1999. Bridgetown Market was beautiful. Beautiful. No problems, no issues. And every year they’re coming up; we’re changing this; we’re doing this; we’re doing the next,” said the vendor. “Last year, the year before, they put me in a dust zone. Talking about wonders of the world. We were supposed to have crafts and different cuisines. We were in dust, on top of dust, on top of dust, and nobody came through.”

She too expressed her frustration with what she termed inadequate facilities and poor communication: “We were here on Court’s Pastures. We had electricity. I’ve been looking, but I haven’t seen any bathroom facilities. There’s no bathroom facility. I watched four vendors go out there and pee in the bush. That is not right. At my age, I’m nearly 60; you feel like I’m going in a bush?”

She also called for consistency, emphasising the importance of familiarity for both vendors and customers. “Normally, I thought the highway would have been closed from 3 p.m. because they’re advertising Bridgetown Market from 3 p.m. until 11 o’clock at night, and we’re down here from 8 a.m. Make it make sense to me why vendors will come out to ply the trade and the market opening at 3 o’clock. For all the years, people have been coming to this location knowing that the vendors were here.”

The vendor lamented the impact on established vendors: “I’ve heard of vendors that say they’re tired of the nonsense and they do not come to participate in Bridgetown Market anymore. They are fed up, and these are artists. I mean artists that are worldwide recognised that used to come to Bridgetown Market and stop.” (RG)