The Antigua & Barbuda Association of Georgia (ABAG) Carnival Troupe has been actively participating in Atlanta Caribbean Carnival since 2004. A major goal of the Association is the promotion of Caribbean culture throughout Georgia. The Association’s first year participating in the Atlanta Caribbean Carnival consisted of a ‘t-shirt mas’ and has since then added colorful costumes and splendor. While ABAG Carnival Troupe was awarded consolation prizes throughout the years, the children section won 2nd place in the 2007 Carnival. In 2006, ABAG Pansonics Steelband, an off shoot of the Association’s Pan Academy, became a new addition to Atlanta Caribbean Carnival. Besides its involvement in Carnival, the Antigua and Barbuda Association of Georgia is also actively involved in community, charitable and education projects throughout Atlanta and the Caribbean.
Pan People Steelband was formed by students and faculty in the Atlanta University Center (AUC) in 1986. The group is a cultural ambassador for the steelpan, the only acoustic musical instrument invented in the 20th Century. In showcasing the steelpan Pan People has become a prominent member of the Atlanta arts community and an advocate for cultural diversity and social change for youth. The group has participated in several educational, civic and cultural programs in the Metropolitan Atlanta area, elsewhere in Georgia, and in other southern states. Pan People is a community based group working with the youth in Atlanta’s economically disadvantaged communities, teaching them steelpan stylistics, developing their social skills and, in general, providing them with positive alternatives. The group has also conducted steelpan workshops at several elementary, middle and high schools and most of the tertiary institutions in the Atlanta area. Pan People has performed at the major festivals in Atlanta and the Southeast. These include the National Black Arts Festival, Midtown Music, First Night Atlanta, the Atlanta Caribbean Carnival, the Atlanta History Centers, Black World Music Series,@ Kingfest International, the High Museums Family Day@ program, the Birmingham Black Heritage Festival, Charleston's Moja Arts Festival, and the Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama. In September 2005, the group participated in the Labor Day Jouvert Parade in Brooklyn, New York. This year the group travels to Trinidad to participate in the Carnival celebrations.
Paradise Carnival Troupe, Inc is a very vibrant, colorful group with many members from all over the Caribbean and the United States, who participate and support us before, during and after the carnival season in whatever venture we undertake. Our mission is to internationally showcase the rich culture of the caribbean; have a well organized and professional team that is successful year after year in Atlanta's Carnival and to provide our members with quality costumes, outstanding music and an experience that is guaranteed to surpass all of their carnivals' expectations.
