Matthew Says National Festivals to Move Away From Last-Minute Planning, better budgeting

National festivals, including Carnival, are set to be managed under a new funding and planning approach aimed at ending last-minute organisation and giving cultural practitioners greater certainty, Culture Minister Daryll Matthew said during the 2026 Budget Debate.

Matthew said the government intends to move away from ad-hoc arrangements that have traditionally characterised the staging of major cultural events, replacing them with a more structured planning and budgeting framework.

“For too long, we have been doing this at the last minute,” Matthew told Parliament, arguing that the existing approach places unnecessary strain on organisers and participants.

Under the new direction, he said Carnival and other national cultural events will be planned earlier and financed in a more predictable way, allowing organisers, performers and service providers to prepare properly rather than relying on rushed arrangements.

Matthew said the shift is intended to provide stronger institutional support for cultural practitioners, including performers, costume designers, stage builders and technicians, whose livelihoods often depend on festival activity.

He told legislators that culture must no longer be treated solely as entertainment, but recognised as an economic sector with the potential to generate jobs, income and skills.

“We have to reposition culture as an economic driver,” Matthew said.

The minister said improved planning would allow cultural workers to operate more professionally, reduce uncertainty and raise production standards across national events.

He also linked the policy shift to youth development, saying better-organised festivals create clearer pathways for young people to earn, train and build careers in the creative industries.

Matthew said the changes form part of a broader effort to modernise how culture is managed and funded, ensuring that national festivals contribute meaningfully to economic activity rather than being treated as one-off events assembled under pressure.

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