2025 bandlaunches have started - Yuma’s off with Echoes of Iere

THIS weekend will see the first 2025 Carnival bandlaunch taking place.

Yuma’s Echoes of Iere is being launched on June 29 at International Waterfront Centre, Port of Spain.

A number of bands will follow, with the popular Tribe group of bands having its Sunset Weekend from July 5-7.

As the launches begin, Newsday spoke to Ronnie and Caro’s Ronnie McIntosh and Showtime’s CEO Godfrey Enile about their 2025 presentations and expectations for next year’s Carnival.

This year, Ronnie and Caro will host a physical launch, after hosting them virtually for a number of years.

In a phone interview Ronnie McIntosh said the band had not hosted a physical launch for the past decade for a number of reasons, with finances being a major part.

The launch will take place on July 12 from 4-6 pm, with a parade in Port of Spain.

“We normally do the street parade leaving from Memorial Park by National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) and coming down Frederick Street with a big truck and, of course, the models in costume so it gives the masquerader a closer look as to what the costume would look like on the streets in the sun,” McIntosh said.

Wanting to bring some positive energy back to Port of Spain was one of the main reasons for the return to a physical launch.

Asked if there were concerns about crime in the city, he said the band had no fears.

“Over the last couple of years, the city has been getting a lot of negative energy, and so Ronnie and Caro wants to bring positive energy and fun. We want to bring it back to what it used to be,” he said.

There will be live performances on a big truck, but he added that depended on
who was available, as many artistes were travelling during that period. People can expect to see about 40-50 models on the streets, and also some moko jumbies, McIntosh said.

The band’s 2025 theme is Shall We Dance, and it will portray some of Trinidad and Tobago’s folk dances like the belé and heel and toe. However, the central idea will artistically show dances from across the globe.

McIntosh said some of soca’s past dances will be a surprise element in the band.

The Donkey Dance was one of McIntosh’s hit songs.

“It is about keeping light and keeping local with a little international flavour in between,” he said.

There will be ten sections. For the 2025 Carnival, McIntosh hopes that those responsible for hosting the festival will do something to keep prices affordable for visitors. He reiterated Trinidad had to be careful not to make its Carnival one of the most expensive ones in the world.

McIntosh was very clear that Tobago was not included in this.

“Everyone tries to capitalise on the high season. For some reason now, the emphasis is always being placed on the bandleaders and the cost of the costumes.

“But also take into consideration that what we are offering is not a costume. Our package is not a costume. We offer a whole all-inclusive package and we basically sell an experience.”

He said bandleaders were doing their part to keep their offerings reasonable, and added that people would do well to remember that the costs covered the two days of the annual street parade.

The total cost of Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival was off-putting to potential visitors, he said, but keeping things affordable to entice visitors did not lie only in the hands of bandleaders but also airlines and hotels, guesthouses etc.

He believes if more attention was paid to culture some of these problems could have long been mitigated.

“We are quite happy to say we are the mecca of all Carnivals and biggest Carnival. We rely on that headline and everybody would do what they want.

“I don’t expect any intervention coming from any administration in terms of, ‘Let’s make things affordable.’

“The last thing on any administration's list is culture. They really don’t study culture. It is an automatic situation. ‘Okay, Carnival coming. People will come for Carnival and they will go back where they come from.’"

Although Carnival made a major contribution to the economy, not enough research was being done to ascertain the true cost, he said.

This year, the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts said tourists spent an estimated US$94.2 million or TT$640 million during the Carnival period.

But McIntosh believes that cost might be even higher. as there was trickle-down to maxi taxi drivers, vendors and others.

This lack of proper data led to artistes and Carnival practitioners not getting the respect they deserved, he said.

McIntosh also said a lack of innovation could also lead to visitors not coming to the country. He said for the last ten-15 years nothing new was added to the state’s Carnival calendar. He called on Carnival’s organisers to be more innovative.

“The independent promoters have been creative and coming up with different concepts, events and stuff."

He added that there were even more Carnival-style events like J’Ouvert parties during the year now, thanks to independent promoters.

“We have become quite complacent. We have these events, we have Pan on the Greens, we have semifinals, we have the Calypso Fiesta, then Dimanche Gras.

“We are lacking in terms of innovation, and that is one of the areas where people will gravitate to other Carnivals as well, besides the cost factor. It is basically the same old, same old.”

McIntosh said this would not affect the mas bands as many visitors came to TT on Carnival Sunday, played on Carnival Monday and Tuesday and then left.

Large band Showtime, at the time of writing, was in the process of choosing models for and designing its photo shoot, scheduled to take place in July, and the 2025 launch in mid-August.

Its CEO Godfrey Enile said as with other bands, shipping and customs issues were some of the problems the band faced in getting ready for Carnival 2025.

He added there was a long process that slowed the importation of feathers due to bird flu restrictions. The Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries Animal Health Subdivision says, “Feathers intended for ornamental use may be exported to TT with appropriate certification.”

Police at launches and other Carnival events were still an issue promoters grappled with, although it was addressed by the Promoters Association at a press conference last year. A meeting was held with the police afterwards. He said this problem has not eased.

Despite what many believe, Enile said many bands have not made a profit since the covid19 pandemic.

“They could say what they want, it is just show and tell,” he said.

Unlike McIntosh, Enile said foreign masqueraders loved TT’s Carnival not only for its costumes, but also the “bacchanal” that came with the festival.

However, he believes in the long-term TT must be able to maintain the interest of visitors while also keeping it affordable. This is why Showtime works to keep its costumes affordable, he said.

“If we have to cut something out, we maintain that our costume is going to be affordable for everyone to be able to play mas,” Enile said.

The band’s 2025 theme is Spectrum and Enile said TT’s Carnival is all about colour. He added that just as there is a blend of light, there is a blend of people, cultures, habits and that is what the band is all about.

Meanwhile, medium band of the year Kinetic will launch early in August.