Carnival party in Tobago

ALL SYSTEMS are in place for Carnival in Tobago with hundreds of revellers set to converge on Scarborough tonight for the massive street party leading into Jouvert. According to Tobago Carnival Development Committee (CDC) chairman Garnet Peters, some 30 mas bands are registered, and this figure was expected to increase with late registrations.

The Scarborough Market Square will not be a judging point for the Parade of the Bands because bandleaders said they were having difficulty getting  their bands to that venue. The judging points are at Republic Bank in uptown Scarborough, Bar Code on lower Milford Road and Shaw Park. Bands will still take the route north along Wilson Road, and around on Gardenside Street, to facilitate spectators accommodated on stands at Market Square. In the pre-Carnival competitions, RBTT Redemption Sound Setters emerged THA Pan Champs for the eighth straight year, with Pan Fanatics taking the Single Pan category. Wendy Thomas made it two in a row when she retained the Tobago Calypso Queen crown, while Leslie Ann Ellis dethroned Henson “Prince” Wright to take the Tobago Calypso Monarch title.

Bishop’s High School student, 14-year-old Jamal George won the TUCO Tobago Junior Calypso Monarch title. Trevor Armstrong and Cammie Smith were crowned THA Inter-Department Calypso Monarch and Miss Carnival Personality respectively. There was no Carnival Queen pageant this year, and while there has been no official explanation, sources said the time was too short. All roads led to the Roxborough Complex last night for the Windward Dimanche Gras which featured the Afro Queen Pageant and Calypso Monarch competitions. Also yesterday, the CDC Junior Carnival Extravaganza, featuring  Junior Panorama and other competitions, took centre stage at Shaw Park.