Kalicharan skips Promenade out of safety

Thousands of revellers took to the streets of San Fernando on Carnival Monday in the parade of bands, but popular mas band Kalicharan Carnival chose to stay away from the judging point at Harris Promenade.

Band manager Aaron Kalicharan said they chose to bypass the judging point for safety reasons, and they also took into consideration the patients at San Fernando General Hospital.

No stranger to winners’ row, Kalicharan Carnival did not disappoint, however, as the band’s 1,500 revellers put on a magnificent display of feathers, beads and glitter in their presentation #Addictive.

Kalicharan said the band had all intentions of following the route outlined by Mayor Junia Regrello. “There was a backlog along the way and we used a contingency plan to move masqueraders forward to avoid staying on the streets for a long period of time.”

The band, he said, spent almost an hour on Rienzi Kirton Highway before they decided to head along Chancery Lane on to High Street.

Music trucks with 40-foot trailers were parked on an incline on the highway for a long while and this was why the band made the detour. “We looked at safety of our masqueraders while trying to treat Carnival as a business, being professional leaders,” said Kalicharan.

The band was expected to be on the official route yesterday. The route is from Rienzi Kirton to the sole judging point in front of City Hall, Harris Promenade to Coffee, Cipero and Sutton Streets.

Kalicharan also raised an issue over there being no competition but a stipend of $15,000 for a large band. “It is the city’s gesture and I appreciate this but it’s really not worth it. There’s no official structure in place by the National Carnival (Commission). As they say don’t have funds to have a competition,” Kalicharan said.

Jaggesar and Associates and Fireworks Production paraded at Harris Promenade at about 5 pm. The soca tunes dominating south Carnival on Monday were Famalay and Savannah Grass.

National Security Minister Stuart Young and Police Commissioner Gary Griffith were present during the event.