As Barbados gears up to bid a final, national farewell to one of its most beloved icons, the Right Excellent Sir Garfield Sobers, final preparations are underway at the iconic Kensington Oval to welcome a crowd of more than 10,000 mourners for what stands as one of the largest public tributes in the island nation’s modern history.
On Tuesday, while Sir Garry’s casket lay in state at the historic cricket ground, work crews moved through the venue putting last-minute finishing touches on the transformation that converted the world-famous stadium from a planned entertainment host to a solemn state funeral site in less than a week.
Damien Gaskin, chairman of Kensington Oval Management Inc., shared details of the rapid turnaround in an interview, explaining that the venue had originally been booked to host key events as part of Barbados’ annual Crop Over festival, including the popular Rise and Pic-O-De-Crop competitions. Despite the short notice and shift in plans, the venue’s management team pulled off the full transition in just a matter of days, a feat Gaskin credits to the facility’s ongoing culture of readiness.
“We normally have more time to prepare for major events, but we generally stay in a state of readiness anyway – we are a facility that is used consistently year-round,” Gaskin explained. He added that the recent international cricket test series against New Zealand had left the ground in excellent condition, cutting down on the prep work needed for the national event. Still, Gaskin emphasized that hosting a state funeral requires a very different setup than a professional cricket match, requiring extensive layout adjustments to match the solemnity of the occasion.
Major modifications to the venue included the construction of a custom stage, installation of new decking, erection of a private tent for VIP guests, and placement of ceremonial decorations and bunting to create the appropriate atmosphere for a national day of mourning. “In terms of the layout, setting up a stage, putting down the decking, putting in a VIP tent, putting up the bunting to have that feel for a state funeral, all that stuff was done in the last few days,” Gaskin said. “Right now we’re just putting the finishing touches.”
Work teams continued to handle minor cleaning and touch-up work through Tuesday, with Gaskin noting that open-air venues require constant upkeep, especially in the days leading up to a major event. “It’s just very minor stuff really in terms of cleaning. You clean today, tomorrow it’s still dirty, so there are still some minor touch-ups that need to be done,” he said.
By the time mourners begin arriving on Wednesday, Gaskin said the venue will fully reflect the gravity and respect of the occasion, fittingly honoring the legacy of the late cricket legend. “It should look and feel like we are really honouring the late, great Sir Garry, and we hope thousands come out to pay their respects,” he added.
Organizers have issued seating tickets for all public stands across the ground, including the 3Ws, Greenidge and Haynes, Hewitt and Inniss, and Hall and Griffith stands, which offer a total capacity of approximately 10,000 seats. With additional contingency arrangements already in place to accommodate extra guests, Gaskin confirmed he expects the final turnout will exceed that pre-planned seating capacity as people from across the island and around the region travel to Barbados to say goodbye to Sir Garry Sobers.