Krave ‘here to stay’

Despite the public issues Krave the Band is facing right now, owner and chief executive officer Avery Hackett is insisting the popular Crop Over band is not going anywhere, declaring that it “will be here to stay” and firmly on the road for the 2026 season.

Hackett made the statement last Wednesday night during Krave the Band’s pop-up costume launch and mixer at The Palm Courtyard, Limegrove, St James, where the band unveiled its 2026 presentation themed Gaia’s Wrath.

“If anybody’s wondering, if everybody’s watching, Krave the Band is here to stay,” Hackett said emphatically.

“As long as I’m on this planet, I’m on this earth, Krave the Band will be in existence; Krave the Band will be in Barbados. We will always be on the road. That’s my promise.”

He also said the band will continue under its established identity.

“ Krave will have the same name as well . . . it’s not going anywhere,” he added.

The launch showcased eight costume sections – Celestia, Tsunami, Inferno, Verdantia, Glacius, Aurora, Terra Nova and Ravage inspired by the theme Gaia’s Wrath – which appears to draw on elements of nature, power and environmental intensity. Hackett said that while the band has traditionally delivered strong presentations, this year’s approach also focuses on innovation within the structure of the band itself.

“This year, we want to do something a little different. We have eight private sections . . . we have Exodus, we have Tipsy. We have Tyshawn, and he’s been with us from day one.”

He noted that a key feature of the 2026 offering is the opportunity being given to long-standing collaborators to elevate their roles within the band.

“One of the things we wanted to do, we wanted to give the people who have been rocking with us for ten-plus years an opportunity to enter the market from a different side,” Hackett said.

“Before, there have been a lot of marketers or designers. Now, we give them a chance to become owners of their own costume, of their own design, and give them private sections so they can grow and elevate their level in the market.”

The CEO said he was pleased with the response to the launch, especially given the shifting trends within the festival landscape.

“We were unsure about whether or not we were going to do a launch because we know that there’s been a shift in time. If you look at everybody who’s doing launches right now, everybody’s shifting from not doing a full-scale launch.”

He added that many bands are now opting for virtual presentations because of changing audience habits.

“Most of the customers don’t necessarily come out to the launch, so to put a lot of money and resources into a launch, a lot of bands are going away from that. They’re going virtual.”

However, Hackett stressed that Krave felt a physical event was necessary this year.

“But we felt that everything we got going on this year, that we needed to do a physical launch and, again, it was short notice, but we felt it was definitely needed in 2026.”

Addressing concerns about logistics and global supply chain disruptions, Hackett said the band encountered no major issues importing costumes. “For me, there was a lot of concern in terms of shipping and logistics – you know, with the war and stuff – so we just wanted to get things right.

“If you do your paperwork the right way and you get your licences and stuff like that, and Barbados is very good on that, then you don’t have any challenges.”

He pointed instead to time management as the biggest hurdle.

“For my 14 years of doing this, the issue has always been time. If you’re behind time, then everything seems impossible. But if you work and you manage the time, then it’s a lot easier.”

Hackett also highlighted the band’s long-standing strategy of targeting international revellers, noting that Krave was among the early bands to promote Barbados overseas.

While acknowledging increased competition from other Caribbean carnivals, Hackett maintained that Barbados still holds a strong position.

“Yes, we can say there’s been a decline in numbers for Barbados, but that’s because there’s been an increase in numbers for the other small islands. So all we have to do is take care of home and we still have the best infrastructure of all the small carnival locations in the Caribbean.”

Looking ahead to Crop Over 2026, Hackett said the band is hopeful for growth.

“We would like to see an increase. We always like to see it. I don’t want to say it’s guaranteed, but I’d like to say we’d like to see it. We had great numbers last year,” he said. (TRY)

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