She said there was never any intention to cancel the celebrations, although February 23 will be the first anniversary of the now famed jailbreak, where five prisoners escaped from the Camp Street Prison.

Ms Teixeira reiterated that there are no fears on the part of the Mash Management Committee or the Ministry that there will be any such recurrence or tragic events.

There is going to be visible security presence on that day, she emphasised.

According to Teixeira, it is not humanly possible to ensure 100 per cent safety on Mash Day. Nevertheless, she is encouraging revellers to come out early so that they may be safely in their homes at an early hour.

For more than 30 years, Mash has been celebrated as a grand Guyanese festival and it is anticipated that the trend will continue in the future.

Over the last five years, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport has work relentlessly to make Mash a truly national event.

Regions Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam), Three (West Demerara/Essequibo Islands), Four (Demerara/Mahaica), Five (Mahaica/Berbice), Seven (Cuyuni/Mazaruni) and Ten (Upper Demerara/Upper Essequibo) are all identified as hosts for various activities in this year's itinerary.

Mash originated in Linden when the Jaycees of Linden sought appropriate means to celebrate Independence Day. However, their plans did not materialise in 1966, and the event was held on Republic Day.

The celebrations were later given the name "Mashramani" and evolved into a national event organised by the Government and is a National Holiday.

Teixeira pointed out that Mash has broadened to provide possibilities for economic gain and that the Ministry of Culture does not earn a profit from the activities.

The Regions can, however, benefit in many ways, in that they have been allowed to host items on the itinerary and all the monies accrued from the gates go to the Regions. Gate prices are not more than $300 per event.

The Ministry also takes pride in the fact that it has been able to de-politicise Mash. A number of Regions have come up with their own itinerary to mark the Republic celebrations, which includes hosting of a flag-raising ceremony.

Meanwhile, business owners, large and small, as well as budding entrepreneurs are free to use the opportunity to their economic gain.

Minister Teixeira appreciatively singled out the way in which Banks DIH and Carib Beer have capitalised on Mash to promote their products, while still emphasising the Guyanese culture.

The Ministry is this year operating on a $16M budget for Mash and Government has allocated $10.8M for the Public Sector to participate in the activities.

Last year, a number of Ministries won prizes for costumes as well as for performances.

Initially, the cost of costumes was subsidised by the Government, but this has since changed and individual organisations are selling costumes to persons who wish to participate under the respective company’s banner.

Last year, workshops were held in costume designing when Winston Black and Marcenio Gomez of the Mass Company of Costume Design Arima, Trinidad and Tobago visited Guyana.

This year's Mash route remains the same as last year. Floats will assemble at Church and Carmichael Streets and the parade will move off from Church and Camp Streets, move east along Church Street, north into Irving Street, west into Thomas Road then north into the National Park.

A series of activities extending to March 8 are still tabled for this year's Mash celebrations.

This weekend, the Adult Calypso finals will be held at Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast in Region Two.