A day at the races. Not horse racing, not dog racing, but goat and crab racing! This was in Buccoo on the Tuesday after Easter when schools traditionally close so that families can enjoy the festivities throughout the island of Tobago. This was also the day that all in-person schooling officially restarted in the country after more than two years of COVID closure.
I missed the preliminary parade, which included the traditional Tobago wedding party, that danced along the freshly paved road towards the Buccoo race track. But I was on time for the first goat race which started promptly at 1pm. The goats were brought out for display to the spectators who were trickling in and settling in the covered stands. I must say that the seats were very comfortable. Most COVID protocols were observed such as sanitising on the way in and mask wearing, but eventually social distancing was difficult as the crowds grew.
The jockeys marched their animals down to the starting gates and we waited in anticipation. Soon the bugler sounded the familiar tune to announce the start of the race. Then the gates opened and they were off. I did not know that goats could run so fast. So much so that some of them outran their jockeys and so got disqualified. You really have to be fit to be one of those jockeys!
Between races, which took place every half an hour, there were two DJs/Masters of Ceremony who got the crowd wining to soca hits and competing against each other for audience participation. They were very amusing and even treated us to some clever extempo. They also provided us with witty commentary on the goats on parade and on the races themselves.
I wandered down to the food tents on the other side of the track. These were well laid out with washing facilities at hand. I was interested in one vendor’s offerings and she told me that they were now setting up and to come back in half an hour. When I did so, she said they had a rush on and were now sold out, and to come back in another half an hour . Eventually, I got fed and, thankfully, it was worth the wait.
The official opening ceremony took place at 3pm. This involved a few short speeches, mainly expressing gratitude to the THA and their Chief Secretary, Farley Augustine, for pushing to make this event happen after two years of hiatus. Between speakers, we were entertained by singers, spoken word performances, dances, and more. I saw a steel band set up there so I’m sure that treat was still to come, but I left soon after. I would have liked to see those crabs racing, but hopefully next time. On the way out, I purchased some wall art from one of the many booths at the venue. The one-way traffic flow made exiting easy and quick.
All in all, it was a lovely day out at the races, and very well organised. I highly recommend it for the whole family.
