Spirit of ‘D’ Gasparee Cave
Trinidad and Tobago's carnival may be over, but the memories live on. Today, we look back at the King of Carnival finals that took place on Dimanche Gras Night. Eleven kings competed at the Grandstand in Queens Park Savannah. After all the presentations, displays of colors, and portrayals on stage, Curtis Eustace was crowned King of Carnival for his portrayal "Spirit of 'D' Gasparee Caves." The accolade was his tenth Carnival King title.
Recently people complained that Machel Montano is winning too much and that he should take a break from competition. I was amused when I heard that and now wonder if they think that Curtis Eustace should also take a break. Despite the competition being fierce, Fareid Carvalho's "Drazlozo, A Being From The Sun" placed second, while Errol Sookdeo's portrayal of "An African Drummer" secured third place. It was a long but amazing portrayal of the Carnival Kings by the bands that would eventually flood the streets of Port of Spain for Carnival 2025.
Considering the length of time it takes for both the Kings and Queens of the bands to complete their finals presentations, maybe they should have these finals on a separate night or limit the Dimanche Gras night finals to six Kings and six Queens if the Calypso Monarch competition continues to be a partner for the Dimanche Gras night show.
For those who attended, the show was wonderful. Watching the king's portrayals and the mastery of dancing on stage with those huge and very elaborate costumes is a wonderful feat. One would hope that the organizers of this elaborate show take note of the grievances people have for the show's format and come up with progressive ideas for improvement. In the end we can look forward to a show that not only celebrates our culture but captivates the international audience. In the end, the King of the bands will celebrate his victory, but the main winner will be King Carnival itself.
King of the Bands: Senior King of Carnival
- Curtis Eustace—Spirit of ‘D’ Gasparee Cave
- Fareid Carvalho—Dralozo A Being From The Sun
- Errol Sookdeo—An African Drummer
- Ravi Lakhan—Midnight Robber—Lord of Darkness and Death
- Raymond Mark—Oberon, King of Fairyland and the Protector of the Forests
- Arif Grantum—Jafar, Sorcerer of Agrabah
- Ted Eustace—Journey to Mayaro
- Franklyn Jagdeo—Spirit of an African Witch Doctor
- Russel Grant—King Sampson
- Keston Benthum—Notsek Bardo
- Joseph Lewis—Jaixue Shenlong—Guardian of the Universe
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Production Notes/Music Credits:
Event: King of Carnival 2025
Origin: Trinidad, Republic of Trinidad & Tobago
Category: Mas/Carnival Kings
Code: TTCK2025
Videos courtesy of WACK Visual Radio 90.1FM/King of Carnival Trinidad 2025
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