DLP demands answers on how Barbados pre-spent $31.7M on CARIFESTA

Barbados's Democratic Labour Party is demanding full transparency on how the government pre-spent $31.7 million on CARIFESTA XV before Parliament's approval — ballooning the regional arts festival's original $4 million budget by nearly 794% — while independent Senator Jamal Slocombe, though not objecting to the expenditure, is calling for a formal economic impact study to show Barbadians what they actually got for their $35.7 million.

CARIFESTA XV ran in Barbados from August 22 to 31 and was confirmed as the largest proportional budget overrun at the single programme level in the current estimates cycle. The government's original approved budget for the festival stood at $4 million for the 2025–26 fiscal year. A supplementary estimates resolution now before Parliament seeks an additional $31.741 million to account for advances already paid and funds reallocated from other ministries — bringing confirmed total spending to $35.7 million. NCF CEO Carol Roberts provided a spending breakdown on March 23, citing CARICOM Host Country Agreement obligations as central to the cost structure and detailing line items including $14.1 million in institutional expenditure, $10.1 million to service providers, and $5.8 million in accommodation, airfares and per diem. The DLP, however, says Roberts' breakdown still fails to answer the core question it is demanding: a full public accounting of the financing arrangements — specifically which government accounts were raided through internal reallocations and advances before Parliament was ever asked to approve the spending. Independent Senator Jamal Slocombe, though raising no objection to the amount spent, has called for a formal economic impact study to help Barbadians understand the benefits derived from hosting the event.

• CARIFESTA XV ran August 22–31 in Barbados • Original approved budget: $4 million (2025–26 fiscal year) • Supplementary estimates seek additional $31.741 million • Total confirmed spending: $35.7 million • NCF CEO Carol Roberts provided spending breakdown on March 23 • DLP says breakdown omits details on internal reallocations and advance financing • Senator Jamal Slocombe calls for formal economic impact study

The CARIFESTA XV spending row cuts to the heart of fiscal accountability in a Parliament where the governing BLP holds all 30 elected seats. With no opposition voice in the lower chamber, the DLP's scrutiny role is limited to public statements, placing unusual weight on Senate oversight. The scale of the overrun — approximately 793.5% above the original estimate, according to the DLP — and the fact that Parliament is being asked to approve money already spent signals a governance gap that extends well beyond one cultural festival.

"Total confirmed spending on CARIFESTA XV reached $35.7 million — against an original approved budget of $4 million — a budgetary overrun of approximately 793.5%, making it the single largest proportional overrun at the programme level in Barbados's current estimates cycle."

— DLP Budget spokesman Corey Greenidge, citing Supplementary Estimates No. 1

Social Conversation: mixed

Social media posts reflect mixed feelings about Carifesta XV, with criticism over a $31M budget overrun and neutral event announcements.

Carifesta XV eventbudget overrungovernment accountability

Voices on X

"The National Foundation of Barbados, in collaboration with Adjaye Associates and the Ministry of Industry, Innovation, Science and Technology, is delighted to announce the winners of the Carifesta XV Competition.

Thank you to all 120 entrants from a... https://t.co/4xlgxzxd7U"

@WoodElla40974 · 1d ago · View on X

"Gvt and Min Straughn accounting for Carifesta overrun of 31 mil + initial budget of 4 mil. It's all fun and games until its 31 mil. And whose bright idea that it would cost 4 mil to host Carifesta when in 1981 it cost 22 mil. Budgeting and #Barbados gvt brought to by crayons. ht"

@RonnieYearwood · Barbados · 4d ago · 38 engagements · View on X

Based on 2 posts from X · Mar 24, 2026

Independent scrutiny — call for impact study, not condemnation: Senator Slocombe has raised no objection to the $35.7 million spent on CARIFESTA XV but argues the government took too long to disclose the full cost and explain how funds were used. He is calling for a formal economic impact study so Barbadians can understand the tangible benefits derived from hosting the festival.

Opposition accountability — full public accounting demanded: The DLP describes the $31.7 million overrun as a fundamental breakdown in budgetary planning and fiscal discipline. With no elected opposition in the House, Greenidge argues accountability rests more heavily than ever on the government itself, and demands a comprehensive breakdown of all costs and financing arrangements used.

Government/NCF — CARICOM obligations drove costs: NCF CEO Carol Roberts has provided a detailed spending breakdown and points to binding obligations under the CARICOM Host Country Agreement as the structural driver of costs. She highlights long-term legacy gains including new performing arts infrastructure, a trained technical workforce, and over 2,500 hours of broadcast content.

"The government's overspend on CARIFESTA was just about equal to the overruns for the entire Ministry of Transport and Works. This is not a minor variance. This is a fundamental breakdown in budgetary planning and fiscal discipline."

— Corey Greenidge, DLP spokesman on the Budget, via Barbados Today

CARIFESTA XV was, by almost any artistic measure, a triumph for Barbados and the wider Caribbean. The numbers are genuinely impressive: 347 events, 31 participating nations, 93,500 visitors to the CARIFESTA Village. Nobody seriously disputes that. What cannot be waved away, however, is the manner in which $35.7 million in public funds was committed, spent, and only belatedly accounted for.

An original budget of $4 million that balloons to $35.7 million is not a rounding error — it is a planning failure, whatever the CARICOM agreement required. Barbados deserves to know what those obligations were before the contract was signed, not after the bill arrives in Parliament. The NCF's cost breakdown is a welcome first step, but a government-provided figure is not the same as an independent audit.

Independent Senator Slocombe is right that an economic impact study is needed. But it must be credible and independent — not a retrospective justification exercise. With no elected opposition in the House, the burden of transparency falls squarely on the Mottley administration. Culture matters. So does accountability.