Carifesta launches in PoS

In the north, the St George West Carifesta IX Committee, with the Culture Ministry, held a parade that started at the Belmont Community Centre on Jerningham Avenue at 3 pm, then made its way down Frederick Street before ending at the Brian Lara Promenade.

Among the traditional characters that formed part of the parade were blue devils, fancy sailors, dame Lorraines and midnight robbers.

They were accompanied in the parade by the sounds of the Red Heat Tassa Drummers, Belmont Hi Larks Steel Orchestra and SSL Melobugz. However, the music was a bit too quick for one of the fancy sailors who remarked, “I wish they will play music for we to dance instead of this,” as he signalled in the direction of the Melobugz, musicians who were at the time playing the up tempo “Scandalous” from the pen of Machel Montano.

Nevertheless the music was able to attract many curious on-lookers and people who came out of their work places to line Frederick Street, while other people took the music as a signal to get out of the city as fast as possible especially at that rush hour.

The parade itself comprised fewer than 100 people and included the Beetham Carifesta Queens and the reigning Ms Mature TT 2006, Merleanna John. But noticeably absent was any high-ranking official of Carifesta.

Newsday was informed via the Culture minister’s secretary that the Festival Director, Joy Ceasar was at the same time taking part in a regional launch in Moruga, together with Pearl Springer and Carol Bishop of Caricom.