Machel surprises revellers, audience at Red Cross Children’s Carnival

SURPRISINGLY, The TT Red Cross Children’s Carnival did not give spectators a hint as to what may be the Road March winner this year as its choice in soca music was varied.

Not surprisingly, several songs like Pardy by Machel Montano, Carry It by Bunji Garlin and Energy by Mical Teja played for the masqueraders several times. But there were also other offerings such as Road Meeting by Fay-Ann and Syri Lyons, Higher Power by Mical Teja, and other 2025 and 2024 songs by Patrice Roberts, Kes The Band, Nailah Blackman, Yung Bredda and more.

Hundreds of children crossed the stage at the Queen’s Park Savannah in Port of Spain to soca music on February 22.

In the individual categories, some masqueraders were timid, others obviously enjoyed the attention, some were demure while others were exuberant. The children were more at ease in groups however, and seemed to get great joy playing in their bands.

It was all entertaining.

Several individuals arrived too late to be judged for their categories but they were still allowed to parade on the stage after all their effort. The members of one such band were in for a treat.

After the parade of the small bands, and the boys and girls 10-13 categories, soca star Machel Montano made a surprise appearance to perform his 2025 hit Pardy. During the performance, a late small band, Bel Timoun Kiddies, was invited on stage with Montano to give their presentation of Party at Emperor Valley.

He also performed Famalay and Soca Kingdom to the delight of the audience.

As usual, the children’s mas was full of creativity, colour and craftsmanship, depicting a range of local flora and fauna, and cultural elements like the steelpan and traditional mas characters.

Kayleigh Peterson portrayed Fusion of Colours which paid tribute to the late mas-maker Wayne Berkeley’s 1974 presentation Kaleidoscope. There were multi-coloured balls on the backpack of the costume and geometric shapes covering the cone around her upper body.

The crowd appreciated the portrayal of Next Level Junior Devils’ Para-Minions. The blue devils, dressed in yellow T-shirts, wings and horns, were obviously hyped up. Performing to the beat of a biscuit pan, they rolled on the stage, belted out high-pitched screams and made aggressive moves with their pitchforks.

House of Jacqui’s Spectrum of Life was one of the bands with several sections. Sun Dancers were fancy Indians, Harvest used autumn colours with baskets full of flowers, and Serenity used delicate flowers as well as spring colours of white and light pink.

There were also the Rainbow and Storm sections, with storm masqueraders dressed in grey and holding umbrellas covered in cotton to represent clouds or covered in long strips of gold and silver tinsel that cleverly represented lightning and rain.

When Newsday left at 4 pm, there were other individual categories to cross the stage, including the medium and large bands.

RED CROSS WINNERS

Category: Babes in Arms – boys and girls 0-2

1st – Khristen Ehiwe portraying Food Fairy

2nd – Jahzara Rodney portraying Treasurers of the Reef

3rd – Jeshaugn Lewis portraying Little Wolf - Dog Warrior

Category: Boys 3-5

1st – Tahir Phllips portraying Spirit of the Pitch Lake

2nd – Tyler De Grasse portraying I am Yinglin

3rd – Olaiya Fagbenie portraying Bat Tayo

Category: Girls 3-5

1st – Ciara Jacob portraying Trinbago’s Flame

2nd – Zendaya Joseph portraying Pride of the Republic

3rd – Stefani Bernard portraying The Phenomenon of Manganese

Most original – Kay’lian Peterson portraying Reminiscence of Egypt

Category: Boys 6-9

1st – Kayden Jacques presenting Orynn of the Twisting Trails

2nd – Jayceon Lamy presenting Sweet Mystic Toolum Warrior

3rd – DCM Kids presenting Crown of The Crocrico

Category: Girls 6-9

1st – Yvonne-Rose Mac presenting The Meandering Mandarin

2nd – Semiya Bailey Greig presenting Miss Iris Sweet Basket

3rd – Amarie Jardine Sirjoo presenting Shroom Shangri-La : A Mystical Mushroom Fantasy

Category: Couples

1st – Jamaya Spencer and Orlando Phillip presenting Jep Sting Naina

2nd – Eli and Ciara Jacob presenting Wings of the Republic

3rd – Daniel and Elizabeth White presenting Mortar and Pestle

Category: Small Band

1st – Fun Time Mas Productions portraying A Journey Through Africa

2nd – Jamjay Kids Production portraying Birds in Paradise

3rd – House of Jacqui portraying Spectrum of Life