Senior Reporter
jesse.ramdeo@cnc3.co.tt
South Quay, Port-of-Spain erupted with colour, rhythm and Carnival energy yesterday, as masqueraders paraded before judges and spectators in a dazzling display of creativity and spirit for Carnival Tuesday.
From as early as 7 am, judges and onlookers began assembling at the Lord Kitchener Stand.
Shortly after 8 am, masqueraders belonging to the 10 different sections of The Lost Tribe, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year, crossed the stage, blending choreographed moves with uninhibited revelry to Machel Montano’s Pardy.
Beneath the beating sun, masqueraders jumped, sang, hugged, waved and danced their way into the next leg of the parade, carrying with them the electric energy.
A heavy police presence bolstered security in the area, which recorded increased crowds by noon.
As the Carnival activity pulsed through South Quay with waves of masqueraders, there were a few moments of delays. There were minimal disruptions to dancing as Bunji Garlin’s Carry It and Machel Montano’s Pardy, both considered to be the main contenders for Road March, were blasted repeatedly by music trucks.
One of the spectators was veteran Carnival announcer Jemma Jordan, a former teacher who also lends her voice to the Boston Carnival and New York Labour Day celebrations.
“This morning I am looking for a very smooth flow of bands. I hope we have all the bands coming here, we already have Lost Tribe waiting to cross the stage and they have been the first band for the last two years. We look forward to the fantastic costumes,” Jordan said, saying Carnival 2025 had showcased unique creativity. “This Carnival, well you know on Mondays they come with piece of the costume and based on the pieces of costume that we saw yesterday, I can imagine that the costumes today will be a kaleidoscope of colour and a nice variety of costumes and I am looking forward to that.”
While thousands may have flocked to downtown Port-of- Spain over the last two days, street vendors voiced their frustration over sluggish sales. Speaking with Guardian Media yesterday, the vendors blamed the existing parade route as one of the key contributors for the decline in foot traffic.
Vendors like Pauline Baptiste, who rely on the annual festivities for a financial boost, explained that masqueraders and spectators were being diverted away from their stalls.
“All they need to do is to make the routes better like long time than having them in drome (Socadrome). That killing them because when you go South Quay, you seeing all the vendors park up and nothing not passing there, they passing different place and they charging people for them places.”
According to vendor Sherwin Sanderson, Carnival no longer provides opportunities for those considered to be disadvantaged.
“Carnival is not for the people again, it too commercialised, big bands, big people with money. Carnival used to be vendors and poor people, no longer poor people and vendors anymore.”
Cindy Jacob explained that her family has been vending in the South Quay area for years and noted that sales have not been as high as in years gone by.
“We had to pay a high rent to sell here so we have to make back we money and a little profit too.”
While Port-of-Spain Mayor Chinua Alleyne hailed Carnival 2025 a success, he noted the concerns raised by vendors.
“We have some adaptations that we need to do. We need to ensure that we keep the Carnival as safe as possible, so that we not only position the masqueraders and spectators but the vendors in a way that allows the festival to continue to grow. We have some teething issues that we need to work our way through and we’re well on our way to working through them.”
However, Alleyne contended that the existing Parade of the Bands route was historical so it was unlikely they would make too many major changes.