Arima Carnival launches with Mas in We DNA

The Royal Chartered Borough of Arima will launch Arima Carnival 2024 titled Mas in We DNA on January 19.

In a release, the Arima Borough Council, in collaboration with the Arima Carnival Committee, said it successfully hosted a high-profile stakeholder consultation to pave the way for a spectacular Arima Carnival. The meeting at the mayor’s temporary office, St Joseph Street, Arima, also included Mayor Balliram Maharaj, deputy mayor Jovan Roberts, councillor and chairperson of community development and social services Jeniece Scott, councillors Sheldon Garcia and Dave Maharaj, and aldermen Irene Medina and Derek King.

For the launch, from 4 pm to 10 pm, the corner of Farfan and Queen Streets, and Farfan and Woodford Streets will be blocked off to cater for the event.

Pan music, artistes and other cultural presentations are expected to be part of the entertainment. Bandleaders participating in Arima carnival have been invited to display their costumes. The event will be carried live on 104.7 FM

In other Carnival activities in the borough, Melodians Steel Orchestra and Arima Angel Harps took part in the Eastern Region segment of the Panorama Medium Conventional preliminaries on January 17. Angel Harps played Thunder, a 1987 hit by the Mighty Duke, while Melodians jammed to Free Up, a 1987 classic by Christopher "Tambu" Herbert.

D' Roll Call

Once a staple fete on the Arima Carnival schedule of events, D' Roll Call, hosted by the Arima Boys RC Primary School, has changed its look. It easily hosted 2,500 patrons in the Arima Velodrome partying to top soca artistes. Due to financial constraints, the organisers have scaled back their ambitions and will instead hold a boat ride on January 27. The vibes at D' Roll Call have always been excellent, so the same is expected this year.

Mt Pleasant Mas Committee

The Mt Pleasant Mas Committee will host its band launch on January 19, from 9 pm, at Boyuer's Bar, Mt Pleasant. The presentation is titled J'Ouvert Jumbies and Trini Vibe. The latter is the band's Carnival Monday afternoon presentation.

Triple T & Associates, which launched earlier this month, will also be presenting its costumes. The event usually turns into a mini street party for the duration of the launch and should be a warm-up for both bands as they join together as one band on Carnival Tuesday in the borough.

Calypso

Calypso Tent Kalypso Revue, the only long-standing tent with five Calypso Monarch winners, opens at the Arima Velodrome on January 19.

The tent will be moving to SWWTU Hall, Wrightson Road, Port of Spain, on January 20 and then to SAPA, Todd Street, San Fernando, on January 21.

Backyard vibes

The D'Abadie O'Meara Women's League is expected to host a backyard party and details are to be released soon.

If you're into backyard parties, Bruce & Marcia's Quota will host its tenth edition of the event. Speaking about the event Bruce Cayonne said, "After a four-year hiatus, the food-inclusive cooler party will be maintaining its authentic unaltered backyard vibes. People could expect an intimate vibe where you feel like part of a family. Expect to party under a host of fruit trees and top house DJs."

Bruce is fondly known as The Sign Man.