Pan 'fuh so' in Savannah on February 16

One of the biggest Carnival pan events will take place on February 16 featuring 31 steelbands performing in the Medium and Large band semifinals at the bpTT Savannah Party.

Under the theme, Steelpan Fuh So! Unleash D' Power! 15 large and 16 medium bands will compete at the Queen's Park Savannah, Port of Spain, from 1 pm. First to play in the medium category will be the Pandemonium Steel Orchestra from Norfolk Street, Belmont, while later in the evening, Shell Invaders of Tragarete Road, Port of Spain, will lead off the large band segment.

Pan Trinbago’s president Beverley Ramsey-Moore is anticipating colossal numbers at the event, judging by the enormous crowds which attended the panyard preliminaries.

She said, “For example, in the north, I am sure we had a little over 20,000 (people).”

Ramsey-Moore said the crowds were so large some bands used large screens, set up outside, so those unable to enter the panyards could view the performance.

This happened at panyards like Massy Trinidad All Stars on Duke Street and bp Renegades, Renegades Way, Charlotte Street.

Not only is the organisation seeing increased numbers at events but also increased sponsorship. National Flour Mills (NFM) gave Pan Trinbago a financial boost to offset the costs of Panorama 2025, the company said in a Facebook post on February 5.

Ramsey-Moore credits the increased sponsorship to the steady work done by her administration.

“I must say sponsors have been coming in and we now have steelband ambassadors, where we have major sponsors who are not only contributing to the bands through Panorama but have pledged to contribute to all of our development programmes throughout the year.

“We have bpTT, as usual, coming in as a steelpan ambassador, NGC as a steelpan ambassador, TTT as a steelpan ambassador and all those other sponsors would have purchased the various packages whether it is gold, silver or platinum.

“We are seeing a significant increase in sponsorship for this year’s event,” she said.

In a phone interview on February 11, she said she hoped this would result in bigger prizes for the bands.

“These bands are deserving of much more than $1 million, knowing the work that we put in with a large band with 125 players. Getting on stage and delivering the kind of product is worth more than that.

“There is a conversation and I am hoping that conversion will bring about a surprise. I am looking forward to that surprise where some announcement can be made where we can have more than a million dollars for the first prize.

“I am looking forward to that announcement. The conversation is happening.”

This year’s winning large band will receive $1 million and the winning medium band will receive $600,000.

However, Ramsey-Moore hopes the prize money could be increased to $1 million for the medium band, $2 million for the large, small bands could also have an increase to $500,000 and single pan bands also get an increase.

She does not know if it will happen this year but she hopes it could in 2026.

At the time of the interview, Ramsey-Moore and her team were readying the Savannah for the pan semis.

Large band preliminaries began on February 9 in the Northern Region and ended on February 12 in Tobago.

Ramsey-Moore said the event was crime-free

“You know what is amazing, how people walk these streets, late hours in the night and there is not any sort of violence or anything.

“People are free. When you talk pan, it is crime-free and it is all about happy music and uniting communities.”

“Corporate influencers” and the “executive champions” (members of government) were also on board, she added.

Ramsey-Moore met with corporate representatives to secure their spaces at the famous North Stand.

“We are trying to bring order in the stands. ‘You can occupy here, you can occupy there.’ Because our general patrons are very important to us. We are structuring the North Stand in terms of patrons and where they are going to occupy in a much better way than last year.

“We have indicated that posses are allowed only one table and then we have posse tents on sale on the ground so they can store their food and drinks and keep restocking.”

Patrons called for the removal of feather banners at the 2024 Large conventional band finals as they were directly in front of the view of some.

But 2025 has seen an even greater public buy-in to pan and its events, Ramsey-Moore said.

She added she was proud to be Pan Trinbago’s leader at this time.

“When people meet me on the street and they are so happy and they hug me for bringing back the pride and the joy of a people, the rhythm of Trinidad and Tobago, the community soul that is the steelpan.

“It is now on the coat of arms. Pan is a spiritual force and Sunday is going to be magnificent.”

The Greens will be a part of this year's configuration again and she is promising that it will not disrupt what happens on the Savannah stage.

The space is being managed by the National Carnival Commission (NCC) and Ramsey-Moore says she supports the initiative.

“That is an additional space where people can go. We are saying that no matter what entertainment there is in the Savannah, once pan is on stage, every other area must listen to the pan.

“‘Shut down what you are doing focus on what is on stage.’ There will be no interruptions to our music on that stage on Sunday.”

In 2012, people complained of the party at the Greens disrupting the pan on stage. The Greens was stopped for some years but eventually returned.

Ramsey-Moore told many in TT to enjoy what she promised to be a fantastic day and one the country would never forget.

Order of appearance

Medium Bands

1. Pandemonium

2. Sforzata

3. Moods Steel Orchestra

4. Curepe Scherzando

5. Dixieland Steel Orchestra

6. Arima Angel Harps

7. Sangre Grande Cordettes

8. Courts Sound Specialists of Laventille

9. Pamberi

10. NGC Steel Xplosion

11. Trinidad Valley Harps

12. Pan Elders

13. NGC Couva Joylanders

14. San City Steel Symphony

15. Katzenjammers

16. NGC La Brea Nightingales

Large Bands

1. Shell Invaders

2. NLCB Buccooneers

3. Massy Trinidad All Stars

4. Heritage Petroleum Siparia Deltones

5. Heritage Petroleum Skiffle

6. Desperadoes

7. bp Renegades

8. T&TEC Tropical Angel Harps

9. NLCB Fonclaire

10. Phase II Pan Groove

11. Nutrien Silver Stars

12. RBC Redemption Sound Setters

13. Republic Bank Exodus

14. First Citizens Supernovas

15. Proman Starlift