Carnival in the City launches on November 7

It is marketed as a day of something for everyone. The National Carnival Commission’s (NCC) Carnival 2026 launch, themed Yuh Go Love Dis is aimed at greater inclusivity, NCC CEO Keiba Jacob Mottley said on November 6.

The launch is being held at the Brian Lara Promenade on November 7 from 9 am-6 pm.

There will live performances, addresses by Minister of Culture and Community Development Michelle Benjamin as well as NCC chairman Peter Kanhai, traditional carnival characters and more.

Jacob Mottley said in a phone interview on November 6, “What we are doing is Carnival in the City and the intention is to launch it in the heart of Port of Spain.”

She said this was an opportunity to bring Carnival to the people. There’d be different themed events throughout the day starting with a live broadcast of the TTT Morning Show from 6 am.

Reigning Panorama Champions Republic Bank Exodus is expected to deliver a lunch-time performance.

To capture the after school crowd, there will be children’s activities from 2 pm-4 pm and after 4 pm there’d be live performances by artistes like Orlando Octave, Ravi B, Shal Marshall, Swappi, Preedy, Terri Lyons and Drupatee among others.

The commission wants to make Carnival events as accessible to many people as possible in bite-sized elements, Jacob Mottley said.

It hopes to encourage commerce by having craft vendors trade their items throughout the day.

“The mandate of the NCC is to always ensure we all have access to Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival because it belongs to all of us. That is part of the fabric of what we do.”

The commission has taken a cost-effective approach to the event as hosting this downtown will cost the commission less.

However, the commission was given $2 million more in this year’s budget allocation. In 2024 the commission was given $146,093,000; in 2025 in the revised estimates it received $134,539,300 and in 2026 it was given $137,173,100 in the draft estimates of revenue and expenditure.

As the commission steadily builds to Carnival Monday and Tuesday on February 16 and 17, it is doing so with the visitor and consumer squarely on their minds, she said.

If there are safety concerns, the commission met with Police Commission Allister Guevarro and the head of the Port of Spain police division to ensure the safety of those attending.

She also thanked the Port of Spain City Corporation for partnering with them to host the event.

“They have been working collaboratively with us to ensure this event happens. As you know, the Port of Spain City Corporation hosts the largest Carnival celebration in TT so we are happy to partner with them and they are always responsive to our requests and so.”

As TT seeks new sources of income, the government and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) are collaborating on a study that would not only measure the economic impact of Carnival but also design a method for helping TT measure Carnival’s impact on the economy. This was announced at the soft launch held in August.

“So we’d be in a better position to say this thing that we love it really helps us all not just the fun part of it but the economic value and contribution to GDP and so on,” Jacob Mottley said.

Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation (TUCO) president Ainsley King praised the launch, saying it was a move in the right direction.

“What they have decided to do is bring the launch to the people and this is the reason they decided to do it in the heart of town. It is a different concept rather than having people pay to come down the road etc and go up in the Savannah.

“It is open to everyone now to enjoy the experience.”

King was also appreciative of an entire day of activities because it gave everyone an opportunity to "get a taste of it.”

Renergising Carnival and bringing it to new audiences required that the government try new things, he said.

Carnival stakeholders (Pan Trinbago, TUCO and TT Carnival Bands Association) worked hand-in-hand with the commission to have this done, King said.

A release on November 5 said Carnival in the City presented a unique opportunity as the NCC transformed a “beloved public space” into an active thoroughfare and commercial hub for all things Carnival.

“New to this year’s launch, is the Children’s Zone, where schoolchildren and their parents and guardians will be able to experience a unique youth-based flavour of TT

Carnival with cultural exhibitions, displays, giveaways and more,” it said.

At the zone, children would be invited to write what they love about TT’s Carnival for a mural that will be displayed at the Grand Stand, Queen’s Park Savannah next year. The commission has called this a Love Letter to Carnival.

Kanhai said, “The idea behind Carnival in the City is to bring Carnival to a place where the people are so that they are able to truly enjoy and be a part of it as much as possible.

“In bringing Carnival to the city, we are hoping to bring people to the city to come out and show their support for the culture, for the NCC, the special interest groups, the vendors and small business community, and the regional carnivals because we are all part of TT Carnival.”