Machel Montano and Badjohn Republic’s Waiting on the Stage commanded the majority of airplay at the Adam Smith Square, Port-of-Spain, judging point yesterday, as the song was played by almost all the bands which crossed the stage.
The judging point turned into an explosion of colour and revelry as scores of masqueraders crossed that stage area.
Ronnie and Caro, which presented Tears of..., crossed the stage at about 11.35 am with masqueraders wearing costumes in fluorescent green and others in blue and pink.
Then came large bands Yuma, presenting Indulge, and Legacy, presenting Life is..., with both bands taking 45 minutes to cross the stage compared to other bands which took 30 minutes.
Very visible was the police presence on horseback and some on patrol, as there were instances when the spectators lining the street started to spill over onto the streets. Overhead, national security helicopters also hovered frequently.
The stands were packed to capacity with visitors as well as locals who came to T&T specifically to watch Carnival. Tourists came from California, New York, and as far away as Australia.
Speaking to T&T Guardian, one of the visitors from New York, who did not want to be named, described T&T’s Carnival as “awesome.”