St James Children's Carnival to hold prize-giving event

The St James Community Improvement Committee will host its prize-giving ceremony for its 2024 Children’s Carnival Parade on July 19, at the St Agnes Parish Hall, Clarence Street, St James, at 10 am.

The presentation ceremony will honour winners in various categories as well as give recognition to the hard work and dedication by the junior participants, bandleaders and supporters, a media release said.

Prizes for large, medium, small and mini bands, king and queen, male and female individuals of the year, along with a total of 22-plus individuals in various year groups will be presented. In addition, awards will be presented to bands that have demonstrated exceptional talent and creativity in categories such as best creative topical, best out of town, most original, best effort and the Yvonne Mungal Challenge Trophy for the Band of the Year. The latter went to Classix Productions for its presentation Carnival, the release said.

The St James Children’s Carnival Parade celebrates and nurtures the artistic talents of the youth while instilling a sense of community pride, the release said.

“We are thrilled to celebrate the achievements of these young performers,” said Keron Moraldo, a member of the organising committee. “Their creativity and enthusiasm have been truly inspiring, and we are proud to recognise their contributions to this cherished tradition,” he said in the release.

This year more bands participated in the competition along the Western Main Road, St James. They were judged in front of the St James Amphitheatre and Park.

St James Children’s Carnival is the brainchild of the late Ken Valley and subsequently staged by the late Yvonne Mungal of the St James Working Council.

The parade will celebrate its 35th anniversary in 2025 and the committee said it intends to mark this milestone with an event rivalling its senior counterpart –the National Carnival Commission (NCC) Junior Parade of the Bands.