The 2020 K'amba Carnival is almost four months away, but planning for the annual winter festival on the Hay River Reserve has already begun.
The first meeting of the organizing committee was held on Nov. 4.
"This year, we started to have our meetings early," said Aaron Tambour, the committee chair. "Normally, they're held the year of the carnival. So this time we decided that we would start our first meeting earlier."
NNSL file photo
Among the first steps at the Nov. 4 meeting saw Tambour elected chair. For the previous carnival, he was the vice-chair, although he assumed many of the duties of the chair as the event got closer.
The vice-chair for the upcoming carnival is Trina Corrigal.
Another decision was setting the date of the upcoming 38th-annual K'amba Carnival, which will be held from March 5 to March 8.
Tambour noted that about a half-dozen people attended the first organizational meeting, although he expects that number to grow as time goes on.
"For the first meeting, we're still a little bit away from the carnival's start date, but it usually starts to pick up after a little while," he said.
The organizing committee for the previous carnival had about 10 members.
The carnival, which is sponsored by K'atlodeeche First Nation, also attracts many volunteers for various activities.
Tambour estimated there were more than 30 volunteers for the previous carnival.
The chair is encouraging people to be part of one of the NWT's biggest carnivals.
"If people want to be involved in it, they're more than welcome," he said.
Tambour also noted that the new committee will be considering some new things for the upcoming carnival.
"We're open to new ideas," he said. "It's all about having a good time, and that's what we want to try."
Tambour said it is too early to say what those new ideas will mean, but they will not likely mean any changes to popular events.
"We're going to try to keep it the same along the lines of the events," he said.
One of the new things will be a K'amba Carnival float in the Nov. 29 Santa Claus Parade in Hay River.
Another new step will be K'amba Carnival tables at vendor markets leading up to Christmas to sell carnival T-shirts and sweaters, and offer an opportunity for people to sign up as volunteers.
Tambour noted that people can find out more about K'amba Carnival on its Facebook page, including information on volunteering.