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The parade of the bands came fast and furious yesterday morning in Port-of-Spain and continued throughout the day, leaving no rest for the judges.

At Lord Kitchener’s Stand, South Quay, one of the judging points, things got off to an early start with large band Tribe parading before a panel of judges and a half-filled stand just before 9 am.

As spectators were streaming into the stand with drinks and food, others were lining the pavement to take in the second day of the parade of the bands, with masqueraders from Tribe gyrating to Shurwayne Winchester’s Dead of Alive.

Leading the 18-section Tribal Fantasy presentation were two horsemen, proudly wearing towering blue and white feathered headpieces and sporting painted faces to enhance their hour-long presentation.

Hot on the heels of Tribe was Brian Mac Farlane, who made his debut as a bandleader yesterday with The Washing.

Taking a page from veteran masman Peter Minshall’s book, Mac Farlane got the crowd’s approval with his flowing all-white costumes, uniquely-designed headpieces and brilliant choreography.

Back up by Malick Tassa Drummers and Laventille Rhythm Section and with white confetti blowing on each section as they danced before the judges, the band was a sight to behold for both locals and foreigners.

Scores of tourists who took various vantage points on South Quay to capture the event on film described Mac Farlane’s performance as breathtaking and superb.

The Washing was followed by Astil Alleyne and Gary Sealy’s band, Before the Europeans, as they proudly displayed a kaleidoscope of feathered costumes.

Not far behind was Ian Mc Kenzie’s band Genesis, a breakaway from Legends, which had a small following of masqueraders.

But the large band that captured the most attention yesterday was Nardie Daniel’s Moulin Rouge—A Tribute to Josephine Baker, which had a contingent of high-profile individuals and PNM bigwigs, including Minister of Education Hazel Manning, Tourism Minister Howard Chin Lee and Housing Minister Keith Rowley.


Housing Minister Keith Rowley and his wife Sharon, part of the PNM contingent in Moulin Rouge in downtown Port-of-Spain yesterday.