Parang tent attracts bigger audience

THIS year’s parang tent saw at least a 50 per cent increase in attendance, the National Parang Association of TT's (NPATT) PRO Joanne Briggs said on October 28.

“We were happy with the attendance this time around. Most likely because people are getting to understand we are moving in a different direction,” she added.

This was one of the association’s innovations, introduced in 2023.

Last year, it was held on three separate days at the La Joya Sporting Complex, Eastern Main Road, St Joseph.

The first parang tent of 2024 was held on October 27 also at La Joya, and the next scheduled tent will be on November 24 at the same venue, showcasing parang youth.

The last parang tent for 2024 will be held on December 8 at Wing It, Ariapita Avenue.

For Briggs, the improved turnout was wonderful and provided a space for people looking for something other than house-to-house parang.

The parang tent was meant to be a bridge between what people know as traditional parang and more contemporary forms, she said.

“Sometimes musicians have this creative liberty to do more with what we already know as parang and we also have soca parang or parang soca artforms.

“So we had a couple of parranderas who sing with traditional bands but who have made a mark in creating their own style of parang soca, telling the story of what we do at parang time,” Briggs said.

Briggs listed singers such as Afeisha Brown and Candy Kay among these.

Voces de Promesa, Armonias Magnificas, Los Parranderos de UWI and Los Amigos Cantadores were the performing bands at the October 27 event.

On the NPA's social media pages, people asked what happened to the days when every weekend was a parang event, Briggs said.

“Under the circumstances, there is that much that can be done but we have to look at the economics and finances of it. So we were able to find a way to still bring the parang but in a different package,” she said.

The audience was an intergenerational mix and the music reflected this, she said.

The tent was just one of the many innovations the association hoped to introduce in 2023, having a museum in its own space was another.

However, it has not come to fruition as yet as the finances are needed to do this.

It was still on the front burner but getting it done was dependent on finances.

Back to house-to-house 2024

When it launched this year’s season, the association thought of the genre’s real origin.

Traditional parang saw people going from house to house, giving the gift of their voices and having people share in the joy of the season, she said.

“It has been a tradition that continues even now, even though people sing, ‘drink ah rum and a punch a creme’, all of that is now part of the TT narrative.

“We continue to do that, even though we are busy with paid performances, but we never forget the most intimate part of the parang is the house-to-house.

“So we said this year, where we are going back to our roots.”

It began at the home of band Los Alumnos de San Juan, Sun Valley, Santa Cruz.

“We performed at a space which was very homely and then three other bands, after they performed, went and sang at other people’s homes,” Briggs said.

The people whose homes they visited were “pleasantly surprised” and “happy” to get some parang as it led them to recall the days when house-to-house parang was a common thing.

Its house-to-house tour will continue on November 9 with a visit to the central community of Piparo.

“I think this is a year of retrospect, going back to our roots and generating or triggering those fond memories of what parang and Christmas used to be because parang brought joy in households along with laughter, food and drink.

“We are seeing a lot of things going on outside (crime etc) on a daily basis and we want to give some peace of mind and a little bit of joy for that moment. We also hope they will remember the reason for the season and why we love TT so much.”

She hoped it also reminded the population that parang was part of the country’s cultural identity and that people would embrace it more.