The 2025 Tobago Heritage Festival is being executed at a cost of $4.9 million, under the theme ‘Time Longer Than Twine.’
While the Opening Gala is set for Thursday, the month-long calendar of events began with a thanksgiving service on July 1st.
Chief Executive Officer Kern Cowan explained that this year’s theme speaks to the patience and resilience of Tobagonians.
“We show ourselves approved in terms of our resilience through issues that have plagued Tobago, and we continue to grow as a people. That is the overall intended theme or purpose behind the theme, but the theme, of course, has its longstanding representation of a strong proverb on the historical conversation with time longer than twine, telling you you just need to give it time.”
Mr. Cowan said this year’s festival will feature greater stakeholder involvement. Notably, productions from Pembroke and Les Coteaux have been reintroduced to this year’s festival calendar.
“Because we started planning the Heritage Festival earlier, the submissions from these villages were able to be examined earlier. While there continues to be challenges, it’s just really being able to overcome them, so the classic Pembroke and Les Coteaux return is really a benefit to those particular communities to come into the space and return to the Heritage landscape.”
The Heritage Festival will include the usual staple events, including Miss Heritage Personality and Heritage Calypso Monarch. The event will culminate on August 1st with the annual Emancipation Parade.