As a non-profit organization run by a team of dedicated volunteers on Grand Cayman, corporate sponsorship is crucial for keeping the 37-year Batabano tradition alive and thriving, and organisers say there has never been a better time than now for businesses to support this growing national event.

“Batabano is so much more than just a road parade for masqueraders because it truly unites all demographics of people living in our community while offering a tremendous economic boost for a wide cross section of local entrepreneurs, including local artisans, cooks, restaurants, bars, retail stores, taxis, hotels, condos, DJ’s, singers, dancers, event rentals, security officers, cleaners, you name it,” said Batabano Chairperson Donna Myrie-Stephen. “It is certainly a thriving tourism product yes, but Batabano, with its unique connection to turtle nesting season in our islands, really touches the hearts and spirits of our local people like no other event in Cayman does, and that alone makes it so special.”

Mrs. Myrie-Stephen said that now more than ever, people are truly realizing just how much Batabano has always united Caymanians as one, along with people from all cultures and backgrounds who call Cayman home. “When a national event has been uniting people to celebrate together for almost four decades, for generations, it becomes part of your culture, part of your history. Our people say ‘Batabano’ with pride, knowing that it is so unique to our islands. You have real bragging rights when you’re part of Batabano!”

With just 12 weeks to Batabano on the weekend of May 7^th to 10^th, Batabano organisers say corporate sponsors are urgently needed at all levels to support the growing carnival.

“Our sponsorship drive began from last year with hundreds of local businesses being contacted, so we’re appealing to them all again to come and be part of Batabano,” she said, noting that sponsorship is critical in order to put on the type of high end concerts and events that Cayman residents and visitors have come to expect, which are easily upwards of CI$75K – CI$100K per event to be done right and to attract top entertainers, in addition to the street parade. “Let there be no doubt – Cayman Carnival Batabano is here to stay as it continues to be a unifying economic driver for our islands and for our people, so it remains one of the top events for sponsors to be part of and to support in the Cayman Islands.”

The overall (adult) Batabano sponsorship levels vary in order to suit any company’s budget, with levels cleverly named in honour of Cayman’s sea turtles – the “Grand Green Sea Turtle” is the premier level followed by the “Mighty Loggerhead”, the “Hawksbill”, and the Batabano Turtle Tracks sponsorship level.

The word “Batabano” is said to be a native Caymanian word used to refer to the tracks that turtles leave in the sand when they go ashore to nest during turtle nesting season from May to November each year, which is why holding Cayman Carnival Batabano in early May is so significant as a time for celebration.

Other (adult) Batabano sponsorship opportunities include:

1. Parade competition cash prizes and trophies for: Batabano Band Of The Year, plus a trophy; Second Place prize, plus a trophy; and Third Place, plus a trophy
2. Kings, Queens, and Individual costume competition cash prizes and trophies
3. Event sponsorship for: Le Masque Fundraising Dinner Show on May 7^th; the Friday Night Fete on May 8^th; International Jouvert on May 9^th; Las’ Lap Street Dance on May 9^th; and the Batabano Food Festival on May 9^th.

Junior Batabano Parade and Family Fun Day will be held on Saturday May 2^nd, followed by the Junior Batabano Teen Dance that evening. Overall Junior Batabano sponsorship levels, also named in honour of sea turtles, are: “Green Sea Turtle” (Presenting Sponsor); the “Mighty Loggerhead”; the “Hawksbill”; and the “Hatchling” which is a sponsorship for individual, or all, participating school groups.

Other sponsorship opportunities for Junior Batabano include:

• Junior Batabano Teen Jam
• Junior Batabano King and Queen
• Family Fun Day

For more sponsorship details, email [email protected] or call/message Mrs. Myrie-Stephen on 916-1740.

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ABOUT CAYMAN CARNIVAL BATABANO

Established in 1983 by the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman, Cayman Carnival Batabano is the National Carnival of the Cayman Islands. A salute to Cayman’s turtling heritage, “Batabano” is the native name for tracks left in the sand when sea turtles go ashore to nest, which has always been cause for celebration in the Cayman Islands. From humble beginnings, Cayman Carnival Batabano has grown from a small parade with homemade costumes and floats, to an international tourism attraction with hundreds of masqueraders donning professional costumes by local and international designers, parading down West Bay Road just steps from Cayman’s iconic Seven Mile Beach. A unique carnival that fuses culture and the arts via creative costumes, Caribbean music, local crafts, and a Food Festival worthy of the Culinary Capital of the Caribbean, Batabano is symbolically held over the first two weekends of May (including Junior Batabano) as part of the celebration and awareness of the start of Turtle Nesting Season. Today, the non-profit Cayman Carnival Batabano Board of Directors is proud to use its platform to promote and support local turtle conservation efforts in the Cayman Islands. Part-proceeds from Batabano sponsorships will help support select turtle conservation initiatives locally, made possible only through the financial contributions of Cayman’s corporate community and the local Government. For more details, visit www.caymancarnival.com and follow www.facebook.com/batabanocayman, www.instagram.com/caymancarnivalbatabano, and www.twitter.com/batabano_cayman.