Features
Melissa Doughty

ANOTHER Christmas season is rapidly fading into memory and another Carnival is ready to help people create fresh ones.
However, this is shaping up to be a Carnival with unique challenges such as increased alcohol prices, geopolitical tensions between Venezuela and the US, as well as fete bans at certain government-managed venues.
Despite all of these, TT Carnival Bands Association (TTCBA) president Mark Ayen said the organisation was continuing preparations for Carnival 2026 with the information available to them.
“As you can see, the North Stand is being built, the big stage is being built, pan has had successful events so far, the festival is on and we are continuing to prepare for it based on the information that is available to us at the point in time,” Ayen said in a phone interview with Newsday.
He said while it was no secret that there are geopolitical tensions at this time, people who mentioned they had issues were choosing to do what they wanted to do, which was travel to TT or not. “But we have seen, to some extent, there have been enquiries about what is going on.”
Ayen said registration for mas competitions begin early in January and the organisation was getting ready to host the best Kings and Queens and junior carnival competitions people would see.
No choice but to absorb costs
Medium band, Petle Mas, leader Petle Claverie said bands would have to absorb losses caused by increased alcohol prices. With the added cost of alcohol and cigarettes and the threat of potential military action in nearby Venezuela, Claverie said Carnival 2026 may be smaller than usual.
In the reading of the 2025/2026 budget, Finance Minister Davendranath Tancoo announced the doubling of duties on alcohol and tobacco which led to an increase in prices for consumers.

In a phone interview, Claverie said the price of Carnival costumes would have been released since July/August – prior to Tancoo’s announcements.
“Mas is not something we could have just said, ‘Oh, alcohol went up by $300 so we have to raise the costumes by $300′.” This would have created a shock to the system, Claverie said.
He added that bands across the board, were looking to absorb whatever losses accrue from the increased prices.
“In the years to come, when bands have a little time to do the proper mathematics on it, the prices of costumes would go up once again and that is how I see it happening. This year, a lot of bands have had no choice but to absorb the cost.”
Asked what his band was doing to mitigate the increased cost, Claverie said his bar manager had not finalised figures as yet but some measures being considered are using more economical drink and smoke brands or managing the flow of drinks on the road a little tighter.
The increased cost might also affect the band’s ability to offer additional conveniences like more rest vehicles, he said. Medium and small bands are more susceptible to these market shocks, he added.
“We are generally the ones who are less supported by sponsors and that sort of stuff. Sponsors tend to go with the bigger bands. It is a lot harder for the small and medium bands and everybody would be looking at ways to reduce some of the expenses in order to cater for that added alcohol expense for sure.”
Claverie said his band was composed of 90 per cent local with foreign players coming to the band through family and friends, so the geopolitical tensions were not an immediate factor.
“Thus far, we have had no cancellations from any of our foreign registered masqueraders.”
But he did believe that it might affect the overall Carnival product. He said many of foreign masqueraders often make the decision to come to TT at the last minute.
“Those who would have probably been saying, ‘Alright, let me see if I could get my vacation or take days off and fly down to TT and get in and get out, those are ones who I think, would say, ‘Nah, that eh go make sense, boy’.”
He also said many might opt to go to other Carnivals in the region or across the globe as TT has done a fantastic job of exporting Carnival as a concept globally.
“Right now, there are carnivals in every corner of the globe and, I would say, they are largely based off of the TT model. And, what will happen, is that people in other countries will start to say, ‘It is better for us to just go Miami instead of going to TT next year.’
“We created the product and now we actually compete against the very same product we created. And moreso as we do things to damage TT’s reputation as being the Mecca of Carnival…as being the place where you go to have maximum freedom and enjoyment.
“As long as we keep doing things that deter masqueraders in that way, then they would revert to going to these other foreign carnivals which are cheaper for them.”
Claverie said 2026 Carnival might be a small one.
However, in media reports, Minister of Culture and Community Development Michelle Benjamin predicted Carnival 2026 would be a bumper season.
‘Still come out and have fun’
Band leader of Tunapuna’s Antourage Productions, Leo Lakhan, said he had been affected “a whole lot” by increased alcohol prices. Despite this, he is urging citizens to come out to Carnival 2026 and enjoy themselves.
Carnival forms a major part of TT’s culture and the country should do its best to continue what it enjoys, he said.

Like Claverie, Lakhan said prices for Carnival packages had already been set before Government announced the increased price for alcohol and cigarettes.
“Remember, when we launched Carnival sections for 2026, we had already set a costing for packages for masqueraders.
“It was after, when all of our packages were released, that Government announced an increase in alcohol prices. It is not like we can go back and tell masqueraders who have already registered, that we would have to increase the prices for their packages.”
During the interview, Lakhan highlighted a new concern to the list of growing difficulties for band leaders: customs delays. He said he did not know what was causing this and only said that bands are experiencing this.
Lakhan was the first to quantify how these things were affecting his business. He said registration had definitely decreased by as much as 20 per cent.
“The registration has definitely decreased. This is the time for us where we would have got 50 per cent of our clientele being registered already. That is not the case now.”
He said only about 30 per cent of his usual clientele have already registered. The band falls in the medium category.
He is hoping some sort of arrangement could happen between now and Carnival 2026 that would ease the strain for Carnival producers.
The band has a high percentage of foreigners and they were still registered to play with the band, he said.
“Carnival is who we are at the end of the day. The Government should take into consideration that this period of Carnival in TT is something everyone looks forward to.
“A lot of people who take part in Carnival would feel depressed and I hope there is light at the end of the tunnel.”
ANOTHER Christmas season is rapidly fading into memory and another Carnival is ready to help people create fresh ones.
