Clowns, pierrots star in PoS traditional Carnival characters parade

From acrobatic clowns to comedic pierrot grenades to a mischievous gorilla, traditional mas ruled the streets of Port of Spain at the National Carnival Commission Traditional Carnival Characters Parade on Friday.

The parade began at Memorial Park and then headed down Frederick Street before going around Woodford Square and ending in front of City Hall.

The convoy of clowns began with the Covigne Road Community Group Fancy Clowns and a couple of the female clowns did a crab back, cartwheels and a split. Four Roads Government Primary and Lady Hochoy School (Arima) had confetti-throwing clowns while Point Fortin Secondary had clowns doing a coordinated dance.

After the clowns, Holy Faith Convent of Penal had their pierrot grenade presentation which began with three pierrots doing speeches. They taught the audience how to spell Chicago, Japan, Guyana and anniversary in the unique pierrot grenade word-play. The other pierrots in the band then joined them and did a fancy sailor-style dance.

Next up was the Enterprise police youth club with bright orange and white bats, as well as black and brown ones. St John's Girls RC played The Ghost Bat – an all white bat group.

Princes Town West Secondary brought down the gorillas with their portrayal Strange Things that featured white gorillas and one pink gorilla then teased children, female spectators and "borrowed" a foreign cameraman's hat.

Mucurapo Girls' Primary School's portrayal Martiniquan wowed with their well choreographed bele dance to the tune of Kees' Boss Lady.

"Lovely ladies," one spectator commented.

The next set of portrayals were dames Lorraine and Carapichaima RC School especially impressed with their bright canary yellow dresses with pink hats, umbrellas and fans. The dames Lorraine aptly paraded to Nadia Batson's Fatt.

There was also a number of sailor mas bands of varying colours, some tiny jab jabs, midnight robbers, minstrels, moko jumbies, fancy Indians and even some faux stick fighters.