By Stephen Weir I don’t know anything about Ryan Oldham (aka Farmer) aside from the fact that he dances worse than I (and I am the undisputed King of the Misstep). But in the wee hours of Sunday morning, his dancing stole the show at Epic Carnival’s Scarborough costume launch. It was 1.30 a.m. […]
By Stephen Weir and Craigg Slowly More fashion show than a costume launch, the 2018 carnival season kicked off in Scarbrough on the weekend with a big bite of Venom. The Venom Carnival mas’ band staged the first costume launch of the season and attracted over 1,000 paying customers, most of whom were there to […]
GEORGETOWN, Guyana – Guyana marked the 48th anniversary of republicanism on Friday with President David Granger saying that the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country has lived under the shadow of threats to its territory since Independence in 1966. “Guyana moved closer towards a juridical settlement of the territorial controversy this year. The United Nations Secretary General in […]
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – Helon Francis, a 24-year old relative newcomer to the kaiso arena, is the 2018 Trinidad and Tobago calypso monarch. Francis competed against six former calypso monarchs and soca monarch, Aaron “Voice” St. Louis, at the Dimanche Gras show at the Queen’s Park Savannah here which started on Sunday night and […]
By Stephen Weir By all rights, the Trinidad and Tobago’s red, white and black flag should now have a small maple leaf stitched into its corner in honour of Canada’s participation in the just concluded Trinidad Carnival. A large contingent of Canadians came to the island to supply costumes, pan music, inspiration, comedy and song […]
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -Former Haiti’s president Michel Martelly, aka Sweet Micky, has been banned from performing at carnival in the cities of Jacmel and Gonaives. Both cities have banned Sweet Micky. the former president’s gyrating alter-ego from performing at their carnivals after religious leaders, feminists and human rights groups launched a protest of Martelly’s participation in […]
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – Aaron “Voice” St.Louis, the reigning soca monarch, will be among 15 artistes who will attempt to dethrone reigning calypso monarch, Dr. Hollis “Chalkdust” Liverpool, at the Dimanche Gras show here on Sunday. “Chalkdust” has won the calypso monarch title nine times. St Louis won the judges’ nod with his popular […]
By Ken Bruzual While snowflakes may descend gently and come to rest lightly, starlets burst very brightly and engage the eyes and mind intensely. So when these two occurrences coincide, like rare eclipses, the spectacle is astonishing. Such can be the perception drawn from the performances and the experiences of the audience at the 21st. […]
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – One of Haiti’s historic hotels is getting ready to welcome visitors to the island for Carnival 2018 later this month with its special “kanaval” package. Marc Pierre-Louis, General Manager of Le Plaza Hotel, said this year’s festival, the theme of which is “Ayiti sou wout chanjman” (Haiti on the road to change), […]
The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) bills its February evening millennial bash as Shake It. But, Trinidadian Canadian actress and playwright Rhoma Spencer plans to take it up a notch, dazzling, rocking and “carnivalizing“ hipsters who will be taking in the First Thursday party on February 1. Shake It is meant to attract new (and […]
