The stars aligned recently and greatness outshined all anxiety and uncertainty as Farmhouse Events brought a magical mix of merriment to Drew Manor in Santa Cruz with their Undercover cooler party. The vibe was electric and the energy was palpable as truckloads of gorgeous females gathered for an unforgettable night of music, reconnections and celebration.
A section of the crowd at “Undercover” gets animated – Overtime Media
The atmosphere was abuzz with excitement and it was clear that everyone came prepared to let loose and have a good time. The lineup of DJs and live performers was carefully curated to ensure a marvelous mix of music and did not disappoint, with engaging appearances from crowd favourites: Freetown – with their wholesome, feel-good aesthetic; Viking Ding Dong – with his comedic interjections and the dynamic duo of Full Blown, who brought the R&B love energy complete with a quick reminder of their smash Big Links riddim success of 2025, said a release from Overtime Media.
Meagan Monsegue fulfilled the Farmhouse theme in this gorgeous cowgirl ensemble at “Undercover” – Overtime Media
These artistes all brought their A-game, delivering energetic and energising performances that got the crowd moving amidst the ongoing conversations and reunions. However, the real showstoppers were the Grenadian sensations, Alex “Muddy” Cuffie and Keron “Lil Kerry” Noel, who brought the house down with their infectious jab energy and undeniable charisma and connection to our culture and festivities. The massive Undercover crowd embraced their neighbours to the north completely and celebrated their unique sound and style, encouraging encores from each as MC Ancil “Blaze” Isaac announced members of the cast in turn and DJs Wayne Small, Team Joy, Adam, Gonzo and Kenez kept the vibes flowing all night long.
Kamu Laird of Farmhouse events takes a photo with Grenadian stars, Lil Kerry (centre) and Muddy backstage at “Undercover” – Overtime Media
From entry to exit, it wasn’t just the music that made this event special – the atmosphere was lush and vibrant, with cool signage and photo backgrounds that made for the perfect Instagram moments. The venue was transformed into a backyard bashment, complete with twinkling lights overhead and colourful decorations arpund the edges. The women added an extra touch of glamour to the night. From stylish outfits to stunning hairstyles, everyone looked and felt like a million bucks, the release said.
Two lovely female patrons pose for a photo in front of one of the stylish and colorful backgrounds at Farmhouse Event’s “Undercover” Cooler event held at Drew Manor in Santa Cruz last Saturday night – Overtime Media
This event was a true celebration of the Carnival spirit with Next Level Devils igniting the entrance, moko jumbies parading around the dancefloor all night and the One Band One Sound rhythm section creating a pulsating exit soundtrack to escort patrons back to their vehicles and homes safely.
Belmont-based independent mas band Vulgar Fraction will unveil its 2026 Carnival presentation TantiBlack with two events, a live talk and a band launch, on January 21 and 28 respectively. Both events will be held at 24 Erthig Road, Belmont at 6.30 pm.
In a release on January 18, founder and designer Robert Young said the mas creolises the anti-anti-blackness movement through the figure of the Tantie, a respected Caribbean icon and enduring symbol of care, truth, and resistance.
The release said TantiBlak approaches anti-anti-blackness not only as opposition to racism, but as a wider practice of refusal and re-imagining.
“Here, Blackness is not race, but a living condition of becoming – fluid, unfinished and full of possibility for all who engage. It is understood as something shaped by loss, survival, improvisation and the courage to exist beyond the limits imposed by dominant definitions.
“The Tantie – beloved aunt, caregiver, holder – embodies this sensibility. She is not only a protector, but a guide through uncertainty: someone who teaches how to live with contradiction and how to boldly remain whole even when wholeness is under threat.”
Young said, “The idea came from thinking about our collective response to anti-blackness, which we call anti-anti-blackness. We say ‘anti’ twice, so you could possibly hear aunty. Tantie reassures you of your self-worth, she is the one who shows you how to push back without losing yourself and she reminds us of the ways in which we have resisted.”
He said in creating TantiBlak, Vulgar Fraction centres the anti-anti-blackness movement in the Caribbean.
Professional theatre practitioner Camille Quamina –
“By making it a mas, a kaiso or using a vernacular for a theory like this which is widely discussed in global spaces, we hope will entice people to think about its presence here and within themselves.”
The release said through the Carnival band, alongside a series of talks and events, TantiBlak will also explore how blackness is imagined as more than identity.
“Here, blackness is not limited to black people, it is a space of experimentation and survival that asks wider questions of power, erasure and how marginalised groups – black, brown, indigenous – learn to move through the cracks of dominant systems.”
It said philosopher and writer Bayo Akomolafe reminds us that “the cracks are where new worlds are rehearsed.” This thinking runs through TantiBlak.
“We’re interested in the crack,” Young said. “Not as weakness, but as intelligence. Tantie knows how to live there. We’ve all heard Tantie stories of her relationships, resilience – how she may have skilfully ‘danced’ to get a better life for herself or her children.”
The release said Vulgar Fraction is known for its independent approach to Carnival, encouraging masqueraders to create their own costumes within a shared conceptual framework.
“TantiBlak is a proletariat, a basic person, the spice woman in the market – we’re celebrating all her ways.”
For TantiBlak, the band will work in layered blacks – black on black, texture on texture – invoking both menace and intimacy.
“I want the band to feel unsettling,” Young said. “But affirming. TantiBlak is also here to help us deal with our own anti-blackness and how that is internalised. It’s an invitation to reflect on sense of self – who defines it, how it shifts, and how you protect it.”
Mental health professional Shivonne DuBarry –
The live talk will feature professional theatre practitioner Camille Quamina, rapso artist and cultural practitioner Omari Ashby and mental health professional Shivonne DuBarry.
The band launch will end in a procession led by moko jumbie king of the band Adrian “Daddy Jumbie” Young, and Egbe Omo Oni Isese drummers. Speakers will be performer and researcher Abeo Jackson and guitarist and culture creative Marva Newton.
A post-Carnival TantiBlack live talk will be held in February on a date to be announced, featuring Prof Kevin Adonis Brown.
For the average soca artiste trying to break through a crowded Carnival marketplace, every decision carries weight. For the 2026 Carnival season, Leonce Taylor took a calculated risk, trusting her instinct over being cautious and, for the first time, releasing two songs for the season.
Written by Jason “Shaft” Bishop and produced by Daddy O Productionz, Rugz Dirty Inc and Rhythym Productionz, His Loss is a groovy soca encouraging women to keep their heads up after a breakup.
Taylor was nominated for Best New Artist (Soca) at the Caribbean Music Awards in 2023 and again in 2024, recognition that quietly placed her among the genre’s rising voices. It was at the 2024 awards show that she met Shaft, who insisted he would make her a hit song.
He called a few weeks after the awards and the result was His Loss, a song Taylor described as almost effortless to create.
“It didn’t take me a long time to record or anything. It was just golden. It was something that was just mechanical. It just happened.”
Released in October, His Loss has received steady airplay, a significant achievement for an artiste based outside TT. Taylor lives in New York, and like many foreign-based performers, she has had to contend with the perception that distance can dilute relevance.
Still, Taylor wanted a power soca song, but releasing another in the same season felt risky.
She told Newsday that established artistes can afford to put out four or five songs, but for lesser-known performers, she believes the music can easily get lost in the mix. She did not want to have to “fight up” to push her song and get it played.
Finally, she decided to take the gamble and contacted musician and producer Alexander Gooding of Lunatix Productions for the music. Then she asked soca artiste Umi Marcano to write the song.
The result was Ready Up, which pushed her vocally and challenged her own perceptions of her range.
“Now there were a lot of high notes. Alex wanted to see how far I could push my vocal ability, my vocal range, and he was impressed. He said, ‘Yeah. This could work.’
“He says my vocal tone favours Destra (Garcia) a lot. And it could be that everybody thinks that we sound alike, but even though we have a similar tone, her vocal range is way wider than mine.”
Soca artiste Leonce Taylor. – Photos courtesy Leonce Taylor
Ready Up was released in December and, so far, the risk seems to have worked out in her favour.
“If it is you don’t gamble, you wouldn’t win anything. You have to be able to gamble at some point in time. I want to be able to gamble and win, but life is just not like that. You really don’t know what you’re gonna get. You just have to try it and see. If it doesn’t work, you just move on to something else.”
For Taylor, both songs are rooted in connection. She says she has to connect to her songs both as a person and as an artist. As a performer, she believes you have to have a relationship with the music, or the audience will feel the disconnect.
Taylor has been singing soca professionally for about eight years, but music has always been part of her life. Her father was a promoter, and she grew up around calypsonians and their bands, including Charlie’s Roots, Blue Ventures and Traffik. That exposure shaped her ear and her respect for the artform.
She was nine years old when she and her family migrated to the United States, a move that forced her to navigate holding on to her cultural roots in a foreign space. As a result, Taylor said she never seriously considered pursuing another genre.
“I could really sing for real, but it was so far-fetched to break into the R&B market. You have to be in the right places or know the right people for that even happen. It wasn’t my thing. I’m not an American, and although the music is nice, I never really related to stuff like that. But I was always into soca music. There was nothing else, at least for me.”
She recalled her father was very strict and adamant that she and her two brothers get an education. Singing professionally was not something she could do without his approval, especially while she was still at university.
“My dad knew the culture and that it is not a nice one for women, but he said I could do it, but I had to keep up with my schoolwork, and I had to graduate. If those things didn’t happen, I wouldn’t have been able to continue. But I did it and never looked back.”
Taylor earned a BSc in psychology, with minors in English and French, from St Peter’s College, now St Peter’s University, in New Jersey.
Her first major break came when Allister “Rayzor” McQuilkin booked her for her first show, a fete in Brooklyn, opening for established soca stars like Denise Belfon and Iwer George in 2014.
But behind the stage lights and airplay, Taylor is a mother, a pastry chef and she has a full-time job. She is often away from home for at least a month every year performing, not just in Trinidad, but in St Vincent, Grenada, Belize, and various states in the US, including New York, Los Angeles and Texas.
She said balancing it all is difficult – emotionally, psychologically and financially.
“It’s not the easiest thing but you have to do what you have to do. This business doesn’t wait for anybody. You can get left behind or written off.
“It’s a sacrifice but as a woman in this business, nobody cares if you have a baby or if you’re sick. When I had my daughter, I got scrutinised, and it was a lot. That’s the real world we live in.
“To make it in this world, we can’t really be wallowing and crying all the time as women. We just have to fight up.”
Still, after every Carnival season, Taylor chooses to focus on what keeps her going. The love of music. The connection. The possibility that the next risk might pay off even more than the last.
“I’ve been around music for so long with my parents and my family, this business and music that is something that you just grow to love and hate at the same time. This is what I want to do, and I can make a better life for my family. And I’m this good at it, why not make it a career?
“And when you reach on that stage, and the green light says go, and you’re singing your song and seeing people’s hands in the air, all that stuff goes away. You only feel the freedom and joy of the music.”
There are tangible rewards, too. Taylor pointed out that she can make the same amount of money in one night of performing as she would earn in a week at her regular job, which is a reminder that the gamble, when it pays off, can be significant.
For the average soca artiste trying to break through a crowded Carnival marketplace, every decision carries weight.
The Ministry of Culture and Community Development, in collaboration with the National Carnival Commission of Trinidad and Tobago (NCC), officially opened Flava Village – A Carnival Culinary Experience on January 8 marking a major new addition to the Carnival landscape.
A media release said, the opening event was attended by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Michelle Benjamin, Minister of Culture and Community Development, Dr Narindra Roopnarine, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Culture and Community Development, Peter Kanhai, chairman of the NCC; alongside other Government Ministers, Carnival stakeholders, creatives and members of the public.
For the first time, Flava Village introduces a purposefully curated culinary and cultural space designed to enhance the Queen’s Park Savannah’s atmosphere. This initiative brings structure, visibility and improved operating conditions to food, beverage and artisan operators who have long formed part of the Savannah Carnival experience.
Flava Village features 50 vendor booths, including 45 food and beverage booths and five artisan booths, which operate in addition to the existing food and beverage vending at the Queen’s Park Savannah. This space supports vendors through improved infrastructure, increased foot traffic, enhanced safety and a more consistent operating schedule throughout the Carnival season, the release said.
Speaking at the opening, Benjamin highlighted the importance of the village to TT’s Carnival experience, stating “This experience guarantees that vendors will see a profit. There will be live cooking, there will be a showcase of our culture. More importantly, Flava Village is an opportunity. It is about giving our small businesses a platform.”
Early feedback from vendors has been positive, with many reporting strong sales, including several vendors indicating that they were completely sold out, and expressing
appreciation for the organisation, visibility and supportive environment provided through the Flava Village experience on the opening night
In addition to food and drink, Flava Village showcases arts and handicraft from a wide cross- section of local artisans, further expanding earning opportunities for creatives. The entertainment experience is brought to life through guest DJs, live acoustic performances and appearances by some of Carnival’s most recognisable entertainers.
Traditional Carnival characters and storytelling elements are infused throughout the village, with costumed performers such as the midnight robber and blue devils adding heritage and folklore to the experience. Flava Village is designed to be 100 per cent local, 100 per cent interactive and 100 per cent small entrepreneurs, reinforcing Carnival’s role as both a cultural celebration and a driver of economic activity, the release said.
Flava Village will operate from 4 pm-11 pm daily. Admission is free.
A new small conventional winner will be crowned on January 10.
The Panorama category’s semifinal was held on December 20 at 4 pm and 31 one bands competed then.
From that 31, 16 were chosen to compete for the title including last year’s winners, Golden Hands and T&TEC New East Side Dimension. The final will be held at Skinner Park, San Fernando from 7 pm. The preliminaries were held from December 5-14.
These women of Plymouth Bethesda Steel Sensation brought the energy.
For years, limbo in Trinidad and Tobago has survived in fragments. A showcase moment on the Best Village stage, a crowd-pleasing break in a Carnival launch, a tourist spectacle abroad performed by TT nationals far from home.
Once a fiercely contested national competition, the artform slipped quietly out of the spotlight after 2008, leaving a generation of dancers without a central platform to train, specialise and be seen.
In January 2026, that changes. Under the banner Doh Fraid De Fire, Limbo, the National Dance Association of TT (NDA) is reviving the National Limbo Competition, restoring the artform to the Carnival calendar and, more importantly, to national consciousness.
For NDA president Alette Liz Williams, the decision was never nostalgic. It was strategic, cultural and urgent.
“The artform faded,” Williams explains. “And when I came in as president, one of my priorities was to find artforms and communities where we could reconnect – things that could make communities stronger and preserve what was dying.”
The NDA’s mandate, established under its Act of Parliament, requires it to protect historical dance traditions. Limbo, with its deep African spiritual roots and its global recognition as distinctly TT, stood out as an artform that had lost visibility at home while flourishing abroad.
From ritual to spectacle and back again, long before limbo became synonymous with Carnival fire and the chant “How low can you go?”, it was a sacred ritual.
Cultural historian Marielle Dos Santos traces limbo’s origins to death rites practiced in Tobago, shaped by African cosmology. The name itself is linked to Legba (or Esu), the Yoruba deity who stands at the crossroads between worlds. At nine-night wakes, mourners passed under a horizontal bar that began low to the ground and was raised each night, symbolising the soul’s journey from earthly existence into the spirit realm. The final “Victory Night” marked triumph over death.
Drumming, chanting and call-and-response anchored the ritual, binding community, grief and celebration into one movement vocabulary. Over time, limbo absorbed other meanings – including interpretations tied to the cramped conditions of enslaved Africans on ships – reinforcing its symbolism of endurance and survival.
In the mid-20th century, dancers like Julia Edwards-Pelletier, later known as the First Lady of Limbo, transformed the ritual into a performance spectacle. Fire, human bars and dramatic choreography, pulsating drumology, reversed the traditional order – from high to low – captivating international audiences and fuelling tourism across the Caribbean.
But as limbo spread globally, its competitive infrastructure at home quietly disappeared.
The 2026 National Limbo Competition is the return with a purpose. Staged in collaboration with the National Carnival Commission (NCC) and endorsed by the Ministry of Culture and Community Development, it is part of the NDA’s 45th anniversary celebrations. It also marks the first national limbo contest in 18 years.
Williams is clear that revival without participation is meaningless.
“We tried to restart it in 2018, but it fell flat because there weren’t enough entrants,” she says. “So, this time, we asked ourselves – how do we ensure people can actually enter?”
The answer was to rethink rigidity. Entry requirements have been deliberately broadened. There are no age limits. Groups can range from six to 20 dancers. Individuals can compete on their own or alongside a group. Drummers can be shared across performances. Even audition videos don’t need to be newly recorded – past performances are accepted to remove time and resource barriers.
Judging, too, extends beyond how low a dancer can go.
“We don’t care how low or how high the bars are,” Williams says. “There are other aspects – choreography, technical execution, creativity, costume, even human bars.”
Special awards include King and Queen of Limbo, Best Costume, Most Creative Performance and Best Human Bar, allowing dancers with different strengths to shine.
The incentive is real. With $100,000 in prize money, including $50,000 for first place, the competition signals that limbo is not a novelty but a specialised skill worthy of serious investment.
Visibility, survival and the diaspora
Ironically, while limbo has faded from regular view at home, TT continues to export some of the world’s finest limbo dancers.
Performers like Shakeil Jones, formerly of the Tobago Arts Performing Company, and the late Nydia Byron, a former Limbo Queen of TT, have carried the artform onto international circus stages. Today, several top dancers are performing abroad with companies like Universoul Circus, leaving fewer practitioners on local stages.
To maintain visibility and survivability this year’s competition is being framed as a proof of concept.
“Some of the best are overseas,” Williams admits. “So those who are here are really pulling together to enter. There is interest. There is capability.”
Workshops led by respected practitioners such as Kieron Dwayne Sargeant – an internationally recognised scholar of African-Caribbean dance traditions – and Makeba Gabriel, widely regarded as one of TT’s strongest limbo performers, aim to rebuild technique, confidence and continuity.
Televised coverage of the semi-finals adds another layer of opportunity. For dancers, it becomes portfolio material – evidence that can open doors beyond Carnival.
Williams is particularly passionate about restoring limbo to the heart of Carnival, where thousands of visitors encounter TT’s cultural expressions in their most vibrant form.
“If there’s money and a bigger stage involved, right in the middle of Carnival, that definitely opens doors for dancers,” she says. “Limbo is a specific skill. Not everybody can do it.”
The semi-finals will be held on January 16 at the Naparima Bowl Amphitheatre as a cooler event with no glass bottles allowed, with the grand final following at Carnival Village, Queen’s Park Savannah, on January 24. Tickets have been intentionally priced at $100 to ensure accessibility – another reflection of the NDA’s focus on rebuilding audiences as well as performers.
Williams noted that limbo has always been about transition – between life and death, restraint and freedom, tradition and innovation. Its revival as a national competition is not an attempt to freeze it in time, but to give it room to evolve without losing its roots.
As dancers once bent beneath a bar to symbolise passage into the spirit world, NDA now bends back into its own cultural memory – trusting that what emerges on the other side will be stronger, visible and alive with fire once more.
THE Cabinet has approved $2.3 million in funding for around 145 unsponsored steelbands throughout TT in preparation for Carnival 2026.
Each of the conventional bands will receive $20,000, while single bands will receive $10,000.
Speaking at the post-Cabinet media briefing on January 8, Culture and Community Development Minister Michelle Benjamin said the funding would go towards instrument repairs, purchasing and transportation costs.
“These unsponsored steelbands perform duties that sometimes go unsupported, hence the government took this decision to continue grant support to these organisations.”
She said the government remains committed to promoting the steelpan as a cornerstone of TT’s cultural identity.
Newsday asked Benjamin if $20,000 per conventional band was sufficient, given the cost of hiring trucks for transport to Panorama, payment of appearances fees for pannists, plus the cost of new pans, racks and transport. She said this measure was just one funding source for the bands and that Pan Trinbago was well-funded, she had that morning met president Beverley Moore-Ramsey.
Benjamin said this measure was traditional and this year the government was in fact funding a few more bands than previously.
In 2025, several steelbands’ state sponsorships were cut, including San Fernando’s Skiffle Bunch, Siparia Deltones, Couva Joylanders, La Brea Nightingales and Tobago’s Steel Xplosion.
Newsday had reported that in a letter dated November 27, Heritage Petroleum Company Ltd informed Skiffle Bunch of the termination of its sponsorship.
The letter, signed by Heritage Petroleum’s acting CEO Kerry Rampersad, said the company expressed its sincere appreciation for the partnership and contribution the band made to the cultural landscape during the sponsorship.
“After careful consideration, we regret to inform you that the company has taken a decision and will be discontinuing its sponsorship of Skiffle Bunch Steel Orchestra effective December 27,” the letter said.
It added that the company truly valued the strong relationship it built over the years and deeply appreciated the positive impact the band had on communities and, by extension, the country.
“Your contributions have made a meaningful difference, and we are grateful for that. As we move forward, we kindly ask that you discontinue the use of the company’s name and logo in any future branding.”
It ended the latter by thanking the band for its dedication and partnership in the culture.
In September, the National Gas Company terminated its sponsorship of three bands: Couva Joylanders, La Brea Nightingales and Tobago’s Steel Xplosion.
Speaking to Newsday before the announcement on January 8, Ramsey-Moore assured that Panorama 2026 would be another great event for the organisation.
“We know that we would have experienced challenges as we started out in November. But as I stand today (January 8), I am at the Queen’s Park Savannah and the stage is almost complete.
“The North Stand is going up. We are already out there in the communities. We are going into the finals for the small band in San Fernando on Saturday (January 10) and then we begin the medium and large.
“We are out there, we are in the community, we are doing what we have to do. Pan is life. Pan is TT and there is nothing else that unites us as a people like sport and culture.”
reporting by MELISSA DOUGHTY
This story has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.
The Cabinet has approved $2.3 million in funding for around 145 unsponsored steelbands throughout Trinidad and Tobago in preparation for Carnival 2026.
Each of the conventional bands will receive $20,000, while single bands will receive $10,000.
At the post-Cabinet media briefing on January 8, Culture and Community Minister Michelle Benjamin said the funds would go toward fine-tuning and purchasing instruments as well as transportation costs.
“These unsponsored steelbands perform duties that sometimes go unsupported, hence the government took this decision to continue grant support to these organisations.”
She said the government remains committed to promoting the steelpan as a cornerstone of TT’s cultural identity.
KFC is getting the party started with KRUNCHNIVAL, a campaign for Carnival 2026 to delight lovers of KFC and the national festival.
In a media release on Janaury 5, KFC said KRUNCHNIVAL combines the two entities at every touch-point – from the road, to the fetes, to the digital feeds.
“At the heart of KRUNCHNIVAL is an iconic musical collaboration between soca powerhouses Yung Bredda and Destra, who have come together to remake the classic Carnival anthem, It’s Carnival.”
KFC said the refreshed track brings a modern, high-energy twist to song generations know and love, reinforcing the message that Carnival vibes and KFC moments go hand in hand.
Singer Akhenaton ‘Yung Bredda’ Lewis and a Dame Lorraine masquerader share a light moment at the launch of Krunchnival at the Brian Lara Promenade, Port of Spain, on January 5.
The collaboration was officially launched on January 5, opposite KFC’s Flagship store at Brian Lara Promenade, Port of Spain, with an energetic performance by the two soca artistes.
“The decision to disrupt the conversation ahead of Carnival was very deliberate,” said Roger Rambharose, Vice President of KFC and Pizza Hut Trinidad and Tobago.
“KFC has always been deeply connected to Carnival, and we wanted to remind the country that when KFC shows up for the season, we don’t do it quietly or predictably. KRUNCHNIVAL represents our commitment to showing up with energy, flavour, and real value for our customers, while celebrating Carnival in a way that feels bold, modern, and true to the culture.”
Stacey Ryan, Head of Marketing for KFC and Pizza Hut TT, said it was important to announce the popular fast-food chain as an integral partner for Carnival.
“KRUNCHNIVAL was born from the belief that Carnival is not just a moment on the calendar, it’s a feeling that lives in how people move, eat, celebrate, and connect.
“By intentionally disrupting expectations, we created space to reintroduce KFC as a true Carnival partner, one that brings music, culture, flavour, and value together in a way only KFC can. This campaign is about owning Carnival authentically, not borrowing from it.”
KFC said the campaign positions it as the ultimate culture and food partner for the season, delivering a full 360-degree experience powered by music, influencers, exclusive products, and bold visual takeovers that celebrate the spirit of TT.
Throughout Carnival 2026, KFC said its customers can expect Carnival-only deals and specials, in-store activities and experiences, menu innovation, brand new KRUNCHNIVAL packaging and more exciting treats.
Fans can join the KRUNCHNIVAL experience by downloading the KFC Trinidad and Tobago mobile app, available on Android and iPhone, visiting www.kfc.tt and following KFC across its social media channels for the latest updates, offers and surprises.
ANOTHER Christmas season is rapidly fading into memory and another Carnival is ready to help people create fresh ones.
However, this is shaping up to be a Carnival with unique challenges such as increased alcohol prices, geopolitical tensions between Venezuela and the US, as well as fete bans at certain government-managed venues.
Despite all of these, TT Carnival Bands Association (TTCBA) president Mark Ayen said the organisation was continuing preparations for Carnival 2026 with the information available to them.
“As you can see, the North Stand is being built, the big stage is being built, pan has had successful events so far, the festival is on and we are continuing to prepare for it based on the information that is available to us at the point in time,” Ayen said in a phone interview with Newsday.
He said while it was no secret that there are geopolitical tensions at this time, people who mentioned they had issues were choosing to do what they wanted to do, which was travel to TT or not. “But we have seen, to some extent, there have been enquiries about what is going on.”
Ayen said registration for mas competitions begin early in January and the organisation was getting ready to host the best Kings and Queens and junior carnival competitions people would see.
No choice but to absorb costs
Medium band, Petle Mas, leader Petle Claverie said bands would have to absorb losses caused by increased alcohol prices. With the added cost of alcohol and cigarettes and the threat of potential military action in nearby Venezuela, Claverie said Carnival 2026 may be smaller than usual.
In the reading of the 2025/2026 budget, Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo announced the doubling of duties on alcohol and tobacco which led to an increase in prices for consumers.
From left to right: Petle masquerader with bandleader, Petle Claverie. He said bands would have to absorb the losses created by increased alcohol prices. –
In a phone interview, Claverie said the price of Carnival costumes would have been released since July/August – prior to Tancoo’s announcements.
“Mas is not something we could have just said, ‘Oh, alcohol went up by $300 so we have to raise the costumes by $300′.” This would have created a shock to the system, Claverie said.
He added that bands across the board, were looking to absorb whatever losses accrue from the increased prices.
“In the years to come, when bands have a little time to do the proper mathematics on it, the prices of costumes would go up once again and that is how I see it happening. This year, a lot of bands have had no choice but to absorb the cost.”
Asked what his band was doing to mitigate the increased cost, Claverie said his bar manager had not finalised figures as yet but some measures being considered are using more economical drink and smoke brands or managing the flow of drinks on the road a little tighter.
The increased cost might also affect the band’s ability to offer additional conveniences like more rest vehicles, he said. Medium and small bands are more susceptible to these market shocks, he added.
“We are generally the ones who are less supported by sponsors and that sort of stuff. Sponsors tend to go with the bigger bands. It is a lot harder for the small and medium bands and everybody would be looking at ways to reduce some of the expenses in order to cater for that added alcohol expense for sure.”
Claverie said his band was composed of 90 per cent local with foreign players coming to the band through family and friends, so the geopolitical tensions were not an immediate factor.
“Thus far, we have had no cancellations from any of our foreign registered masqueraders.”
But he did believe that it might affect the overall Carnival product. He said many of foreign masqueraders often make the decision to come to TT at the last minute.
“Those who would have probably been saying, ‘Alright, let me see if I could get my vacation or take days off and fly down to TT and get in and get out, those are ones who I think, would say, ‘Nah, that eh go make sense, boy’.”
He also said many might opt to go to other Carnivals in the region or across the globe as TT has done a fantastic job of exporting Carnival as a concept globally.
“Right now, there are carnivals in every corner of the globe and, I would say, they are largely based off of the TT model. And, what will happen, is that people in other countries will start to say, ‘It is better for us to just go Miami instead of going to TT next year.’
“We created the product and now we actually compete against the very same product we created. And moreso as we do things to damage TT’s reputation as being the Mecca of Carnival…as being the place where you go to have maximum freedom and enjoyment.
“As long as we keep doing things that deter masqueraders in that way, then they would revert to going to these other foreign carnivals which are cheaper for them.”
Claverie said 2026 Carnival might be a small one.
However, in media reports, Minister of Culture and Community Development Michelle Benjamin predicted Carnival 2026 would be a bumper season.
‘Still come out and have fun’
Band leader of Tunapuna’s Antourage Productions, Leo Lakhan, said he had been affected “a whole lot” by increased alcohol prices. Despite this, he is urging citizens to come out to Carnival 2026 and enjoy themselves.
Carnival forms a major part of TT’s culture and the country should do its best to continue what it enjoys, he said.
Bandleader of Tunapuna’s Antourage Productions Leo Lakhan has called on TT to still come out and enjoy themslves despite some challenges faced during this year’s celebrations. He said Carnival was a major part of the country’s cultural fabric. –
Like Claverie, Lakhan said prices for Carnival packages had already been set before Government announced the increased price for alcohol and cigarettes.
“Remember, when we launched Carnival sections for 2026, we had already set a costing for packages for masqueraders.
“It was after, when all of our packages were released, that Government announced an increase in alcohol prices. It is not like we can go back and tell masqueraders who have already registered, that we would have to increase the prices for their packages.”
During the interview, Lakhan highlighted a new concern to the list of growing difficulties for band leaders: customs delays. He said he did not know what was causing this and only said that bands are experiencing this.
Lakhan was the first to quantify how these things were affecting his business. He said registration had definitely decreased by as much as 20 per cent.
“The registration has definitely decreased. This is the time for us where we would have got 50 per cent of our clientele being registered already. That is not the case now.”
He said only about 30 per cent of his usual clientele have already registered. The band falls in the medium category.
He is hoping some sort of arrangement could happen between now and Carnival 2026 that would ease the strain for Carnival producers.
The band has a high percentage of foreigners and they were still registered to play with the band, he said.
“Carnival is who we are at the end of the day. The Government should take into consideration that this period of Carnival in TT is something everyone looks forward to.
“A lot of people who take part in Carnival would feel depressed and I hope there is light at the end of the tunnel.”
Partygoers are buzzing over the sentiments of the unforeseen removal of parties at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BCLA) as TT gears up for another season of freedom of expression and revelry for Carnival 2026.
On November 12, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced an immediate ban on fetes at the academy, citing noise pollution complaints made by nearby residents.
She later also announced restrictions at Hasely Crawford Stadium and Jean Pierre Complex.
Party promoters were, then, left to decide their fate.
One party promoter left wondering what to do was Xperience Fete organiser and entrepreneur Sheldon Stephen.
The event was usually held at the academy but has now been relocated to Skinner Park.
Stephen of Lollabee Group of Companies says he is now concerned for residents who live nearer to Skinner Park, San Fernando.
Stephen is known to create proscenium stages in open space. That type of stage usually features a large, rectangular stage framed by an arch (the proscenium arch) which separates the performance area from the audience.
Stephen’s stage designs are also known for pyrotechnics, 3D monuments and LED designs.
Last year’s event drew a large crowd and he anticipates that, come 2026, it will be no different.
He hopes all will go well at the new location and has followed all protocols to ensure all goes well.
“Experience attracts 12 to 15 thousand people. In terms of the residents of San Fernando, I am not too sure. We applied to the EMA (Environmental Management Authority), and we followed the noise restrictions policy, but definitely, there are residents closer to Skinner Park than to Lara Academy.
“This will be the new home for Xperience this year. Next year, we will look at a different venue. I don’t think we would consider moving the event to Port of Spain, Xperience is a south base event, we won’t try to move to Port of Spain unless we have to. This year we will still be in the south, so that is good for us,” he said. It will be held on January 17 from 3 am.
Newsday spoke to some residents nearby the academy in the Tarodale community, many of them had no issues with the music or getting in and out of their homes when parties were hosted there.
A 65-year-old woman from Bougainvillaea Avenue, Tarodale said: “It is an overdone (cancellations). That seems to be a hate game the government is playing. I like to hear the music and know that people are there enjoying themselves. When I get tired, I go to sleep as normal, so I cannot understand how the people in St Joseph Village and Marabella Train Line say the noise is affecting them.”
Another woman, Lystra Martin, 73, of Monstserrat Drive, said: “The noise does not affect me at all. Sometimes I would not know it have something there, is only when I going to church is then I’ll know it had something there. When I see people and the cars.”
It was different for Tekel Sylvan, 30, of Hope Street, Tarodale. He said his revenue decreased due to the government’s restrictions at the venue.
He said, “From home is like five minutes away. And it was better because I walk the stilts. So, when big events call, I would not have to factor in transportation costs.
“So far, some of the big events like Xperience haven’t called me. Plenty of the events used to be at the Brian Lara, and I used to be a part of it. It would have traffic at certain times, according to how they set up the venue and how the traffic had to be directed; it could cause a little chaos. “Some does keep events to the front and some to the back, so the direction of the traffic does change up a little. Actually, I haven’t had any bookings yet, and that (ban on events) would have slowed down the procedures; by now they would have contacted me.”
The Che Lovelace-led J’Ouvert band, Friends for the Road (FFTR) has developed a partnership with the TT Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TTSPCA) for Carnival 2026.
The band was founded by Lovelace and a close-knit group of collaborators, a media release said.
A release said the NGO was now the band’s official charity partner for the season.
The partnership will take the form of co-branded awareness campaigns, on-site donations and collection drives at FFTR events and collaborative promotional content highlighting the NGO’s work.
It added that the collaboration represented more than sponsorship or visibility, it reflected the band’s deeper ethos.
“A brand built by artist Che Lovelace, who has shaped FFTR into a movement that marries
the ancestral heart of J’Ouvert with the thoughtful curation of a modern Carnival experience.
“FFTR stands at the intersection of ritual and renewal, offering masqueraders the freedom and
exhilaration of traditional mas while partnering with the business community to deliver a
top-class, all-inclusive, contemporary J’Ouvert.”
It said further that choosing the TTSPCA as its 2026 charity partner aligned with the band’s belief that Carnival is about community.
“This collaboration marks the beginning of a meaningful initiative that brings together Carnival
culture, social responsibility, and tangible impact. Throughout the 2026 season, FFTR and
TTSPCA will work together to amplify awareness, inspire giving, and create opportunities for
masqueraders and supporters to contribute to animal welfare in accessible, joyful ways,” it said.
A band representative said, “Carnival has always been about community. Our band was built on the idea that J’Ouvert is a ritual of connection — to culture, to each other, and to the world we help shape.
“Extending that spirit to support TTSPCA’s mission is a natural and deeply meaningful step. This is the beginning of a partnership rooted in compassion, impact, and shared values.”
The release said the NGO was enthusiastic about the collaboration because the partnership offered a powerful platform to broaden public awareness, deepen community engagement and support its ongoing rescue and rehabilitation efforts across TT.
“Both organisations look forward to growing this partnership beyond Carnival 2026 and into
future initiatives that uplift communities, protect vulnerable animals, and strengthen the fabric of
local culture,” the release said.
The TTSPCA is TT’s only open-admission animal shelter which provides temporary care and shelter for unwanted and abandoned cats and dogs. It offers low-cost spay and neuter programmes and collaborates with other NGOs on public education, rescue and the rehabilitation of injured animals.
The organisation relies heavily on public support and fundraising initiatives to sustain its operations, the release said.
Antiguan soca artiste Tanzania “Tizzy” Sebastian cemented herself in soca’s history halls with her 2007 hit, Expose. She is making her return to TT’s 2026 Carnival with Fire Marshall and Freak in De Fete.
Emerge Media wrote her 2026 single, Fire Marshall and the other single Freak in De Fete, which was written by Barbados’ Jus D. These songs are true expressions of Tizzy’s untamed energy, a media release said.
“I’m looking forward to a great carnival 2026 and beyond,” she said, highlighting that 2025 was very good to her, following the love she received during Antigua and Barbuda’s carnival.
“I released three songs that were all well received in Antigua. Big Ben, Charge Up and When Last, which featured TT’s Viking Ding Dong, got a lot of love throughout the season. I couldn’t have hoped for better. I think it was the launch for greater things,” Tizzy said.
She built a strong relationship over the years with TT bands and artistes like Destra and Atlantik and D’ All Starz, Tizzy said she feels at home.
As the season progresses, Tizzy plans to release two power soca tracks.
The Antiguan and Barbudan singer never wavered in her commitment to the regional genre and that she was seeking to re-establish herself in TT ahead of next year’s Carnival.
It said she planned to “hit the ground running” in the coming weeks. It added that her return to the TT spotlight came after a lot of personal reflection, decisions about her brand and who she wanted to be moving forward.
“My motivation in this business is life.
“Singing soca music – performing, is something I’m very passionate about and I want to positively encourage those looking on at my story, and my journey. I want them to see that even through the highs and the lows, I have been resilient and I keep pushing,” she said.
In recent times, Tizzy has been working, dedicatedly, on her sophomore album, Jus Ah Come – something she is proud to have branded solely as her accomplishment.
“All of the songs that I released before this album were under ElAkru Music. These new songs are all available on all streaming platforms and I must thank my ElAkru Music family for their support and of course my husband Rohan Hector, who is both my manager and producer,” she said.
The ElAkru Music team remains a consistent part of Tizzy’s musical journey. “As a team we’ve gone through the highs and lows of the business but we’ve never stopped believing. Once you find something that you love and you know who you are, then you will keep doing it and you won’t find it worrisome. It won’t be work alone; it’ll also be fun,” she added.
She said she was eager to interact with other regional artistes and is eager to meet soca lovers during the festival.
“Soca is a powerful, energetic genre. It’s an expression of what it means to be a Caribbean person. We work 365 days of the year and we look forward to this music, these vibrant songs to release our inhibitions, at least once every year,” Tizzy said.
THE NORTH Stand’s going up. But so too are the mounting questions about Carnival 2026.
It’s Christmas time. For many, that’s their main focus right now.
However, the 2026 festival season will be short. And Carnival was launched on August 15 with a full calendar of events that are already in train.
Today, December 20, the Panorama Small Conventional semi-finals will be held at Victoria Square, Port of Spain. On December 17, panyards across the country were abuzz for the preliminaries.
Keiba Jacob Mottley, CEO of the National Carnival Commission (NCC), this week confirmed the North Stand’s going up as usual and is expected to be completed by mid-January.
Yet, the certainty embodied by the steel beams that support that iconic structure does not seem to be apparent in other areas of planning.
After August’s NCC launch, with its usual platitudes and tepid “You Go Love This” theme, a sense of policy drift seems to have set in.
There’s little discussion about things like the parade route for next February. Marketing efforts appear to have been limited to a flashy new website that was quietly launched. A proper press conference about prize money for marquee events hasn’t yet been held.
After Michelle Benjamin ordered an audit of spending in July, we’ve heard little about that matter.
The Minister of Culture in August tellingly spoke of a coming Inter-American Development Bank study “to measure how this national cultural product impacts our country’s ability to earn revenue.”
Meanwhile, we’re told the total budget this year is $137 million, which does not seem substantially different from the previous $140 million price tag. But the memories of Ms Benjamin’s bitter sparring with Emancipation Day stakeholders over funding are fresh.
Ms Mottley’s disclosure to this newspaper that the cost of the North Stand will be “almost 50 per cent less than the 2025 cost” is a sign of a push to tighten expenditure across the board in light of the minister’s public pronouncements.
Meanwhile, question marks loom given the Prime Minister’s clampdown on fetes at state facilities, which triggered a degree of scrambling and bad vibes. Other strong noise pollution measures targeting fireworks have recently been enacted.
In the same month Carnival was launched, there was also the abrupt cancellation of Independence Day events, with the government citing security concerns amid a state of emergency. The implications of that abrupt cancellation linger, even if the emergency may not.
Geopolitical tensions, including much speculation over US military build-ups and war, add a unique layer of uncertainty.
Nonetheless, stakeholders have been going about their business. Clearly, the NCC is one of them. After all, if Carnival stands for anything, it’s the idea that the show must go on.
The stage is set at Victoria Square, Port of Spain, for a riveting showdown on December 20 as 31 small conventional steelbands compete for coveted spots in the finals of the National Panorama competition. The finals will take place at Skinner Park, San Fernando, on January 10, 2026.
At 4 pm the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force Steel Orchestra will ignite the festivities, launching what promises to be an exhilarating evening of melodious steelpan music. The programme is scheduled to conclude with Nu Stars Steel Orchestra bringing up the rear.
In a statement, Pan Trinbago president Beverly Ramsey-Moore said Panorama 2026 has opened with an electrifying display of vibrancy, precision and showmanship.
“At the heart of this momentum is the Small Conventional Band category – the true engine of the steelpan movement and a powerful expression of this year’s theme, Steelpan Legacy: Ours to Love Ours to Cherish,” she said.
Ramsey-Moore noted that between December 5-13, a total of 48 small bands registered for the competition. Of that number, 46 bands across four regions – Eastern, Northern, South-Central and Tobago – were judged in their respective panyards. Each band, comprising between 45-60 players, delivered an eight-minute performance featuring original calypso, soca or chutney selections.
Lord Nelson joins Golden Hands during their winning performance at the 2025 Small Conventional Bands finals on January 25. –
At the conclusion of the adjudication process, Southern Stars Steel Orchestra (D’South Band) emerged as the front-runner with 272 points. The Erin Road, Siparia band impressed judges with a Duvone Stewart arrangement of the late Merchant’s 1982 calypso Let Us Build A Nation Together, finishing three points ahead of closest rivals Fascinators Pan Symphony and Uptown Fascinators Steel Orchestra, which tied for second place on 269 points.
Joint 2025 champions T&TEC New East Side Dimension and Golden Hands Steel Orchestra finished fourth and seventh respectively, both involved in three-way ties.
With an arrangement of Sparrow’s Water the Garden, New East Side amassed 269 points to tie for fourth place with Fusion Steel Orchestra and the Defence Force Steel Orchestra.
Golden Hands earned 265 points with a Vanessa Headley-Brewster arrangement of Atlantik featuring Tony Prescott’s 1997 vocalisation All Aboard. Tunapuna Tipica Steel Orchestra and Arima Golden Symphony Steel Orchestra also scored 265 points, sharing seventh place.
Although they did not finish at the top as anticipated, the two winning arrangers have warned competitors not to count them out.
While expressing respect for Stewart – who remains on a high after winning the first Panorama 2026 title in the Single Pan category in November – Independence Avenue, San Fernando arranger Headley-Brewster and Tobago’s Kersh Ramsey have signalled their intent to reclaim and retain their crowns.
Both said their players would demonstrate a higher level of skill and discipline as they work to improve their performance ratings.
“We are coming to successfully defend our title. We did not perform as we usually do, but now we have enough time to drill and understand the song better,” Ramsey said. “Expect T&TEC New East Side to set the bar high on Saturday. Expect a well-executed, energetic performance.”
Confident of his band’s pedigree, Ramsey added: “We’re looking for a clear path to victory. Having won back-to-back in 2024 and 2025, we are going for the hat-trick in 2026.”
Tobago T&TEC New East Side Dimension and San Fernando-based Golden Hands were declared joint winners of the National Panorama 2025 Small Conventional Small Bands finals at Skinner Park, on January 25. Arrangers Kersh Ramsey and Vanessa Headley celebrate with Tourism Minister Randall Mitchell, PanTrinbago president Beverly Ramsey-Moore and bpTT communications and external affairs manager Ryan Chaitram. –
Headley-Brewster is undeterred by the boast and is equally determined to outplay Ramsey and the rest of the field.
“The goal is to retain our title, but we know we have some work to do,” she said. “We were penalised for going over time and lost three points. We want to bring a fresh sound to the Panorama landscape – something that takes people on a real musical journey, blending strong performance with entertainment.”
She explained that the choice of music carried a dual message. “It is a tribute to Tony Prescott, a soca icon in his own right. But at a time when the world is watching rising tensions between the US and Venezuela right outside TT’s waters, it is also a call for the nation to get on board with something positive and move in the right direction.”
While bands often dread drawing either the first or last performance slot, Headley-Brewster said Golden Hands is comfortable performing in position 28.
“As a band coming from the south, it works for us. It gives us time to settle down and pace ourselves,” she said.
As joint winners in 2025, both bands were required to share the challenge trophy for equal periods before the next competition. However, Headley-Brewster revealed that Golden Hands has not had sight of the trophy since the competition night.
“We have formally written to Pan Trinbago, but to date there has been no positive response,” she said.
Ramsey declined to be drawn into the controversy, saying he could not confirm whether the trophy was in Trinidad or Tobago. “I don’t know about that part. I don’t know what went on there,” he said.
With a touch of humour, Headley-Brewster suggested she might have to ask authorities whether Tobago’s radar could locate the missing trophy.
Against the backdrop of reduced state support for pan and its representative body, Ramsey-Moore praised the pan men and women who continue to uphold the art form’s proud legacy.
“In less than two months, Pan Trinbago has visited 94 steelbands and engaged over 3,000 steelpan musicians across TT during the adjudicated phases of two competition categories for Panorama 2026,” she said.
She added that the Small Conventional Band category alone has directly impacted approximately 2,000 musicians, underscoring Panorama’s role as one of the country’s largest cultural mobilisations and reinforcing TT’s status as the Mecca of the steelpan.
ORGANISERS of the Ultimate Soca Champion, introduced in 2025 as a replacement for the defunct Soca Monarch competition, are nervously awaiting feedback from the government ahead of Carnival 2026.
The competition was noticeably missing from the National Carnival Commission’s (NCC) 2026 calendar of events released on December 16.
Responding to queries from Newsday, Ultimate Soca Champion CEO Jerome “Rome” Precilla said, “We have formally written to the honourable Minister of Culture (Michelle Benjamin) and the National Carnival Commission requesting a meeting to discuss the status of the Ultimate Soca Champion competition for 2026. To date, we are still awaiting an official response.”
In a written statement, Rome said the organisers were fully prepared to move forward with the competition.
“Ultimate Soca Champion 2025 was a strong success, and the response from artistes has been overwhelming. Many performers have already been reaching out, expressing their excitement and eagerness to be part of the 2026 edition.”
He said organisers are mindful of the country’s challenging economic circumstances and are more than willing to sit with Benjamin and NCC to “explore practical and sustainable ways in which the competition can be executed within the current climate.”
He added, “As this is still a relatively new competition, government partnership is critical at this stage to help build it to a level where it can eventually become self-sustaining. At this point, it would be extremely difficult to mount the competition independently without that support.”
He said he is hopeful – in the interest of soca – that an agreement can be reached.
“We remain committed to working collaboratively with the government to ensure that our culture continues to be supported, nurtured, and allowed to flourish,” Rome said.
In April of 2024, the former culture minister Randall Mitchell announced the People’s National Movement (PNM) administration’s intent to partner with private organisations to host a soca competition, following the cancellation of the Soca Monarch.
In July 2024, the government invited expressions of interest. That closed on August 23, 2024 and the ministry received eight submissions.
It then issued, through the NCC, a request for proposals on October 29, 2024 and that closed on November 19, 2024.
Star Global Productions was chosen as the winning bidder.
The organisers revealed in a press conference on January 17, 2025 that the winner would walk away with $1 million.
They also shared that it would mirror international reality-TV formats where the stories of some of the competitors would be told during streamed episodes. There were two categories: the ultimate soca champion and the youth soca champion.
Eventually, Grenada’s Akim “Blaka Dan” Ogiste walked away with the ultimate prize for his popular song, Blessings.
The NCC calendar showed the earliest event next year being the opening of Flava Food Village on January 2 at 7 pm, followed by the January 3 launch of a stickfighting event called Welcome to the Gayelle, to be held at the Moruga Multi-Purpose Youth and Sports Facility. This is a government-led event aimed at adding more stickfighting events to the Carnival calendar, Newsday was told.
The John Cupid Carnival Village is scheduled to open on January 9 and close on January 29.
Chutney Soca Monarch is scheduled to be held on February 14 at Skinner Park, San Fernando.
THE Carnival Roots and Cultural Committee of Princes Town launched Carnival 2026 on November 28.
The organisation of carnival in that community has changed hands several times.
Chairman of the committee Alesia Dyer-Stoute said that they have a renewed objective to uphold the values of the artform in her address at the Triangle (promenade).
Dyer-Stoute said: “Our group is not only focused on Carnival… it is a cultural group, so we are working together to bring the community together for all events throughout the year.”
Moko jumbies were among the carnival characters on show during the launch of Princes Town Carnival, organised by the Carnival Roots and Culture Committee on November 28. – Photo by Innis Francis
Dyer-Stoute called on all stakeholders to support culture and the artform through registration and patriotism with the group.
She said the committee plans to host several events, including a J’Ouvert, calypso tents, and pretty mas on Carnival Monday and Tuesday.
Moko jumbies and red devils were on hand to entertain guests at the launch.
THE Trinidad and Tobago Promoters Association (TTPA) said it remained “deeply concerned” about Carnival 2026 following a November 21 meeting with the Ministry of Culture and Community Development.
In a November 22 release, the TTPA said Culture Minister Michelle Benjamin did not attend the meeting (parliamentary duties) and they instead met with the deputy permanent secretary and other ministry employees.
The announcement that government sporting facilities could no longer be used for fetes and other Carnival activity prompted the meeting.
Another meeting is scheduled for November 25.
“Despite repeated calls to reverse the bans on state-owned venues so the Carnival 2026 season can progress, the administration’s position remains unchanged,” the release said.
The next meeting will explore available options and potential support.
“While we continue to work feverishly to identify alternative spaces for events, the association and its members remain deeply concerned about the health and stability of the industry under the current conditions,” it added.
In a response to Diego Martin West MP Hans Des Vignes in Parliament on November 21, Benjamin said the government remained committed to supporting stakeholders and had identified alternative spaces.
She added that the National Carnival Commission (NCC) made spaces available in the Queen’s Park Savannah and Chaguaramas.
Culture and Community Development Minister Michelle Benjamin expects money allocated for Carnival 2026 to be more than enough as government has cut out much of the waste that previously occurred.
Benjamin made this clear as she spoke following the launch of Carnival 2026 at the Brian Lara Promenade in Port of Spain on November 7. Government has allocated $137 million for Carnival 2026, up from $134,539,300 in 2025.
She said previous complaints about money will also be reduced as government has addressed the slow pace at which funding was released.
Regional carnival, which has traditionally been underfunded in favour of events in Port of Spain, will also receive an injection of money to stage their events.
She said government’s goal is to ensure every community has an opportunity to not only enjoy the festivities but generate economic activity.
“Rest assured, this administration, taking all that into consideration, what the people of TT can expect is more injection into the people, into the artists, so the funding would be reaching the people and also the artists,” she said.
The launch of Carnival drowned out the noise in surrounding streets as pedestrians were treated to the sound of steelpan, African drumming and performances by artistes including 2025 Chutney Soca Queen Reshma Ramlal, Preddy and Aaron Duncan. It was launched under the theme “Yuh Go Love This.”
It marked 100 days revellers turn he streets into a sea of colour during “the greatest show on earth”.
Carnival is usually launched at the Grand Stand of the Queen’s Park Savannah, however, NCC chairman Peter Kanhai explained that a decision was made to change the venue in an effort to bring the festival to the people.
He noted the change in venue had the added benefit of saving money.
“The cost of coming here is a fraction of what it would normally cost to put on the launch of Carnival up at the Queen’s Park Savannah. So, already, the savings are taking place,” he said.
Culture and Community Minister Michelle Benjamin on the steelpan on Friday during the launch of Carnival 2026 at the Brian Lara Promenade in Port of Spain.
Citizens can expect an action packed season as there are events from this month’s end up to the proclamation of carnival on J’ouvert morning.
Both the NCC chairman and minister said they expect Carnival 2026 to be packed with an international and diaspora presence as accommodations and most airline seats to TT are already fully sold.
The government is developing a system to track how many people come for carnival and data collected will be used to drive future planning and policy.
Deputy NCC chairman Kevan Gibbs said both visitors and locals can expect one of the safest carnivals in several years.
“We are going to have the lowest murder rate for the year, and we are going to go into Carnival. It’s going to be the safest Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago that I’ve seen in 25 years,” he predicted.
In April, Jamaican Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett said after a successful carnival that island was aiming to be the Carnival capital of the Caribbean.
Newsday asked Kanhai and Benjamin if they were concerned about TT losing its identity as the Mecca of Caribbean Carnivals. Both welcomed the competition.
“I think it’s always a good thing for people to have ambition to reach to the highest level, but Trinidad and Tobago is still the pinnacle.
“And everybody that’s doing this, the reason that they come to us here in Trinidad and ask us to send delegations and so on is because they are trying to reach the Trinidad and Tobago level. We here in Trinidad and Tobago must make sure that they get close, but never surpass us,” Kanhai said.
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.
Terri Lyons –
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.
Shal Marshall – Angelo Marcelle
“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.
Ravi B –
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.
Keiba Jacob Mottley, CEO of the National Carnival Commission. – Photo by Faith Ayoung
“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.
TUCO president Ainsley King – Photo by Faith Ayoung
“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.”
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