JavaScript is disabled in your web browser or browser is too old to support JavaScript. Today almost all web pages contain JavaScript, a scripting programming language that runs on visitor's web browser. It makes web pages functional for specific purposes and if disabled for some reason, the content or the functionality of the web page can be limited or unavailable.

Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Tourists in love with T&T; Socadrome a hit with patrons

by

Angelo Jedidiah
510 days ago
20240214

Like Lor­raine, if you need­ed a lil’ run­away to en­joy all that the Great­est Show on Earth has to of­fer, yes­ter­day’s So­cadrome, in par­tic­u­lar, was un­de­ni­ably the place to be.

Spec­ta­tors filled the stands of Jean Pierre Com­plex, Port-of-Spain, en­joy­ing the con­ve­nience of Car­ni­val com­ing to them in one phys­i­cal set­ting.

The day start­ed with a clear sky, ush­er­ing the warm tem­per­a­tures to co­in­cide with the heat­ed spec­ta­cles that were about to cross the stage.

Mas bands Bliss, Tribe and Rogue led the charge of bands that were ex­pect­ed to show­case their beau­ty and cre­ativ­i­ty.

Lo­cals of all ages gath­ered to en­joy the show­case, some from great dis­tances.

Wen­dell Mar­tinez jour­neyed to So­cadrome from Pe­nal with his fam­i­ly and said that the long dri­ve was worth it.

“This is the first time we came to the So­cadrome, and I want­ed to ex­pe­ri­ence it ver­sus go­ing to the Queen’s Park Sa­van­nah. You could sit down here and re­mem­ber I have chil­dren, so it is easy to ac­com­mo­date them,” Mar­tinez said.

Mu­sic roy­al­ty Machel Mon­tano was al­so present at the So­cadrome. This year’s crowned Ca­lyp­so Monarch found time in his busy school sched­ule to cross the stage with his Tribe, prov­ing his in­sis­tence to nev­er miss a next Car­ni­val again.

But for a change, a Mon­tano hit did not em­anate from the mu­sic trucks lin­ing the stage. In­stead, Mi­cal Te­ja’s ‘DNA’ and ‘Car­ni­val Con­tract’ by Bun­ji Gar­lin kept mas­quer­aders en­er­gised and spec­ta­tors on their feet.

Au­di­ences were left in awe, when Ju­nior King and Queen, Leonar­do Fe­li­cien and Jadya Forde graced the stage with their mag­nif­i­cent por­tray­al that se­cured their 2024 vic­to­ries.

The cul­tur­al dis­play of mas leg­end Pe­ter Min­shall’s Tan Tan and Saga Boy and a stick-fight­ing rit­u­al prompt­ed the oohs and ahs made by tourists.

Even tourists who were ful­ly dressed with their re­spect­ful mas bands, broke away to take in the cul­tur­al dis­plays of Car­ni­val.

Ac­cord­ing to Mike Lewis from Lon­don, Eng­land, this past week­end was in­deed an im­por­tant high­light of his life.

“I’ve been to a cou­ple of fetes, the J’Ou­vert. I did yes­ter­day and now to­day. I’m lov­ing every minute of it. I’ll sleep to­mor­row,” Lewis said as he ex­it­ed with his mas band Bliss.

“You guys re­al­ly know how to par­ty here,” an­oth­er vis­i­tor in­ter­ject­ed with en­thu­si­asm.

Jor­nell from St Lu­cia ad­mit­ted that he has been wait­ing all his life to ex­pe­ri­ence Car­ni­val in T&T, which he may have con­fessed was the ‘best one.’

Ven­dors and ar­ti­sans al­so en­joyed be­ing at the So­cadrome and ad­mit­ted that they were not dis­ap­point­ed with sales this year.

Small busi­ness Ex­quis­ite Is­lander dis­played hand­made jew­ellery and ac­ces­sories that at­tract­ed mas­quer­aders and tourists.

“It is go­ing re­al­ly good. We are meet­ing new peo­ple we haven’t met be­fore. I love the mu­sic, I’m ac­tu­al­ly get­ting two in one, mu­sic and sales,” said co-own­er Cer­ron Mor­ton.

Nichelle Su­perville of Jae Chell Co Ltd came to So­cadrome from Matu­ra and shared sim­i­lar sen­ti­ments.

“Sales are com­ing slow­ly and sure­ly. Lo­cals and for­eign­ers are look­ing. Be­ing here is ex­cit­ing,” Su­perville said.


Related articles

Sponsored

Weather

PORT OF SPAIN WEATHER

Sponsored

Today's
Guardian

Publications

A model in a costume from The Lost Tribe’s 2026 presentation Island Circus

A model in a costume from The Lost Tribe’s 2026 presentation Island Circus

KERWIN PIERRE

A model in a costume from The Lost Tribe’s 2026 presentation Island Circus

A model in a costume from The Lost Tribe’s 2026 presentation Island Circus

KERWIN PIERRE

Ringmasters of the Road: Crowds flock to Tribe’s circus-themed band launch

20 hours ago
Students, principal and staff of St David’s RC Primary, along with the UWTT and Scotiabank Foundation teams at the handover of steelpans at the school.

Students, principal and staff of St David’s RC Primary, along with the UWTT and Scotiabank Foundation teams at the handover of steelpans at the school.

Students, principal and staff of St David’s RC Primary, along with the UWTT and Scotiabank Foundation teams at the handover of steelpans at the school.

Students, principal and staff of St David’s RC Primary, along with the UWTT and Scotiabank Foundation teams at the handover of steelpans at the school.

Scotiabank Foundation, United Way donate steelpans

20 hours ago
The Executive of the National Parang Association 2025-27. Back row, from left: Kervin Preudhomme, assistant secretary; Shaquille Headley, committee member; Cheriese Pierre, committee member; Lisa Lee, trustee; Joanne Briggs, PRO; Yarelis Touissant, committee member; William Calliste, trustee. Front row, from left: Jenais Carter, secretary; Alicia Jaggasar, president; Henrietta Carter, vice president; Joseph Bertrand, youth officer. Missing: Kerrylee Chee Chow, treasurer; Chevone Pierre, committee member.

The Executive of the National Parang Association 2025-27. Back row, from left: Kervin Preudhomme, assistant secretary; Shaquille Headley, committee member; Cheriese Pierre, committee member; Lisa Lee, trustee; Joanne Briggs, PRO; Yarelis Touissant, committee member; William Calliste, trustee. Front row, from left: Jenais Carter, secretary; Alicia Jaggasar, president; Henrietta Carter, vice president; Joseph Bertrand, youth officer. Missing: Kerrylee Chee Chow, treasurer; Chevone Pierre, committee member.

The Executive of the National Parang Association 2025-27. Back row, from left: Kervin Preudhomme, assistant secretary; Shaquille Headley, committee member; Cheriese Pierre, committee member; Lisa Lee, trustee; Joanne Briggs, PRO; Yarelis Touissant, committee member; William Calliste, trustee. Front row, from left: Jenais Carter, secretary; Alicia Jaggasar, president; Henrietta Carter, vice president; Joseph Bertrand, youth officer. Missing: Kerrylee Chee Chow, treasurer; Chevone Pierre, committee member.

The Executive of the National Parang Association 2025-27. Back row, from left: Kervin Preudhomme, assistant secretary; Shaquille Headley, committee member; Cheriese Pierre, committee member; Lisa Lee, trustee; Joanne Briggs, PRO; Yarelis Touissant, committee member; William Calliste, trustee. Front row, from left: Jenais Carter, secretary; Alicia Jaggasar, president; Henrietta Carter, vice president; Joseph Bertrand, youth officer. Missing: Kerrylee Chee Chow, treasurer; Chevone Pierre, committee member.

Jaggasar returns as National Parang president

Yesterday
Charles Town junior drummers and dancers take to the stage

Charles Town junior drummers and dancers take to the stage

Charles Town junior drummers and dancers take to the stage

Charles Town junior drummers and dancers take to the stage

Jamaican Maroons celebrate, question land rights

Yesterday