Rank	Song	Artist	Can be heard on...
1	Is Carnival	Destra Garcia & Machel Montano	On More Carnival Web Page
2	Display	Faye-Ann Lyons "Display" won the Trini Carnival Road March song -> most played song by all the bands.	On Trinidad Web Page
3	Mad Man	Machel Montano
4	Trini 2 d Bone	David Rudder & Carl Jacobs	On this web page

Rank	Song	Artist	Can be heard on...
1	Display	Fay-Ann Lyons "Display" won the Trini Carnival Road March song -> most played song by all the bands.	On Trinidad Web Page
2	Ah Home	Iwer George
3	Trini To The Bone	David Rudder & Carl Jacobs	On this Web Page
4	Is Carnival	Destra Garcia & Machel Montano	On More Carnival Web Page

Event	Description of event	Click on Image  to see film clip
Mas Camp and Pan Yards The movie clip to the right shows the final product of what we saw being constructed while visiting the Mas Camp.  Yes, that is a man dressed in costume at the bottom of the costume	This is a behind the scenes look at  what Carnival the spectacle that it is.  At the Mas Camps, one gets to see close-up how the costumes are made.  The Pan Yard is where you can experience steel pan music in the raw as they practice for the competitions.	More than 20' high  - Schizo, The Agony of Xtacy - film clip
Calypso Tents Calypso/Kaiso as a music Genre There are several versions of the origin of the calypso that emerged as an identifiable genre towards the end of the nineteenth century in Trinidad. However it appears that the calypso represents a mixture of several folk songs in the African tradition. In its original functions - to praise or deride, to comment or to relate.	There is no other art form that defines T&T like calypso.  It is a combination of social and political commentary all set to a lively rhythm.  These tents are often irreverent, a debating ground for everything from love to lust, politics and scandal.  Often, you cannot understand all the words, but you definitely get the message. The reigning national calypso monarch and calypso queen Singing Sandra	Singing Sandra - Calypso Winner 2003 (Picture  Only) Singing "For Whom the Bell Tolls"
Viey La Cou	This is the patois of "Old Yard" an d is pure street theater, island style - a treat in terms of seeing true old-time Carnival arts.  Viey La Cou was a folk fair that was started up by the theater folk as a means of keeping alive some of the Carnival's finest theatrical practices.  None displayed this better than the wedding march.  One can see carious characters from folklore and even society portrayed.   Each year may be different but the focus is on "The Old Style."   One can expect to see: Midnight Robbers, devils, imps, roving minstrels, Pierrot Grenade, Dame Lorraines, Jammettes, Jumbies, Wedding marches, stick fights, etc.	Blue Devils - film clip Wedding March - film clip
Extempo	This is the art of singing extemporaneously  on any given topic.  It is a difficult art to master and very few singers possess the skill to compose the verses with little to no prep time.  The competitors duel with each other in and extempo "war."  It is a fantastic battle where each of the competitors try their best to outdo each other.  Many relish these off-the-cuff performances asserting that only the truly skilled can compete in this arena. For US  trained ears, unaccustomed to the Trini accent and nuances, it may be difficult to capture all the action and especially the punch lines.	No film clips available
Panorama The Champion Steel Pan Band for 2003 was Exodus featured in the movie clip on the right. Place - Band - Tune - POINTS 1st Exodus - "Pandora" - 476 Champions 2nd Trinidad All Stars - "Pandora" - 471 3rd Phase II Pan Groove - "Music in We Blood" - 468 4th Renegades - "Iron Man" - 462 5th Pan Knights - "Ah Home" - 455.5	This is the zenith of achievement for the steel band.  12 of the country's best steel bands gather after a series of grueling elimination competitions to compete for the title of Panorama Champion.  This is the primary goal of all steel bands.  Typically, each steel band is composed over a hundred players and the volume, tone, syncopation and rhythm must be heard to fully appreciate the art form that steel band playing has achieved	Exodus Steel Pan - film clip Exodus then assumed the entertainment portfolio as winner of a special 40th anniversary competition staged at Dimanche Gras and champion of the national panorama contest, treating an enthusiastic audience to the songs that won them those titles "Tourist Leggo" and "Pandora" (respectively).
J'ouvert Dan & Vicki the morning after (Dan has already taken off his "splashed" clothes Showering on the dock before we dare step on the boat	This means "Day break" or day open when anything goes!  It is the "official" start of carnival and begins at 4:00AM on Carnival Monday.  It is the time for creatures of the night -bats, devils, imps and dirty people.  (The last category is the one we participated in...as a Desert Rat)  Part of the ritual of J'ouvert is that no one avoids being painted and/or muddied.  It is you duty upon seeing a clean person to ensure that they are liberally baptized in paint, mud, oil and/or whatever other detritus might be generally available, including as a worse case scenario your rum punch if that is all you have handy.  There are organized bands (like the one we participated in - Desert Rats) which have big trucks with music, "beverages"  and security or one can free wheel it going through town and mixing with various bands and street side spectacles.	No film clips available (We dared not bring our good cameras) Halliday Girl and Dakare - we survived J'ouvert!
Dimanche Gras	This show is the Grand Finale of all the seasons competitive shows, the Calypso Monarch, the King and Queen Costume competitions and Pan Band competitions featuring songs from previous eras.  There are also performances by the Panorama champions, Extempo champions, Junior Monarchs and others.  It is the showpiece of T&T music, dance and song.	Pan Knights - film clip
Parade of Bands George Bailey Band of the Year 2003: Large - Legends - Bedazzled Medium - Trini Revelers - Gathering of the Tribes Small - Tribal Connections - Warriors of the Great Plains Mini - Rosalind Gabriel - Land of the Humming Bird	The Parade of Bands or "Pretty Mas" is a two day affair and it takes place on Carnival Monday and Tuesday.  This is where the band leaders creativity and style is showcased.  Hundreds of thousands of costumed revelers throng through the streets of Port of Spain, the capitol of Trinidad, dancing, chipping and whining  (See last entry in column to the right) their way to Carnival music, with the parade crossing the final stage at the Queens Park Savanna in the middle of town.    To do J'ouvert and the Parade of Bands is a true test of anyone's' stamina. For the fourth time in five years, the band Legends led by Mike Antoine and Ian Mc Kenzie won the Band of the Year title.	Carnival Intensity - film clip Old Sailors Band - film clip Whining Example - film clip
More?	More Pictures, more Canival	Click here (Pictures Only)

Of this page	To Cruising  Pics