Tobago's Buccoo Goat Race attracts huge crowds, plans for more frequent events

Trinidad and Tobago: The Buccoo Goat Race, a popular event in Tobago held on Easter Tuesday, attracts large crowds to the Buccoo Integrated Facility for goat and crab races.
 
While recognizing its cultural significance to the citizens and residents, the Tobago Goat Owners Association hosted a second race during the July-August Tobago Heritage Festival.

This event was held on Thursday and attracted a huge number of visitors, all of whom were seen having a great time with their friends and family. 

The Area Representative Assemblyman Sonny Craig shared his thoughts on the event and called it a huge success. He said that there are ongoing conversations to have the Goat race hosted more frequently.

"Being their representative, I am compelled to work with them to develop the sport. So I think at least we should aim at four significant meets a year and see where that takes us," he added. 

Craig emphasized that merely discussing the Goat race isn't enough, as there must be will and passion to make it happen. While there are talks of holding regular Goat race events throughout the year, he acknowledged that these events won't immediately rival the well-established Easter Goat races.  
 

He further emphasized, "Look at it this way if you come during this vacation time, emancipation has its own market already. Independence day has its own market already, and that's those are the two major holidays during the two month summer vacation, Easter Tuesday. There is no competition on Easter Monday." 

 
Craig said that this is why one has to embrace a day to turn it into an annual thing, and there must be a holiday that doesn't necessarily have a large following/  
 
He also mentioned that the Buccoo goat race is widely appreciated by the general public, noting that participants come from all over the island, not just from Buccoo but from across the island.  
 
One of his favorite parts about the goat race is the reaction of the jockeys after a game and the rivalry among the goat owners and jockeys. Sonny Craig added that if one looks at their reactions after the race, it is almost similar to a kind of schoolboy kind of thing.