"When ah Trini get-vex, he does want to buss somebody's head"—and that is exactly how I felt when the Road March results for Trinidad Carnival 2026 were announced. Not because my favorite song lost, but because the system once again exposed its flaws. The most popular song did not win; the song most strategically played at predetermined judging points did. That distinction is not trivial—it is the heart of the problem.
- Encore Didn’t Win the Road—It Won the Judging Points
- Cyar Behave was the people's song. So Why Didn’t It Win?
- The Road March Has Become a DJ Playlist, Not a Public Choice
- The Road March Is Broken—And TUCO Is to Blame
For years, the Road March has been governed by a format that is outdated, easily manipulated, and increasingly mistrusted. Many Trinidadians believe that this year’s outcome reflects those vulnerabilities. And just like the Savannah Grass year, the people’s choice was sidelined—not because of artistry or cultural impact, but because of a system TUCO refuses to modernize.
Let me be clear: I do not blame Machel Montano for operating within the rules. He is a master strategist, supported by elite writers and producers, and he understands how to ignite hype that burns bright even if it never becomes classic. He is a Carnival Soca salesman—once he smells blood, “yuh dogs-dead!” But his twelve wins, impressive as they are, do not carry the cultural weight of Lord Kitchener’s legacy. Kitchener’s victories were earned in an era of steelbands, brass bands, and genuine public demand. Machel’s wins are engineered within a system that rewards influence, access, and timing.
This is not an attack on an artist. It is a critique of an institution.
TUCO’s Assistant PRO, Megulla Simon, recently insisted that TUCO deserves respect. But respect is earned, and TUCO’s lack of urgency to fix a malfunctioning competition has eroded public confidence. Their approach feels indifferent at best and incompetent at worst.
The clearest example of this failure is the widening gap between the people’s choice and the DJ’s playlist. Masqueraders were calling for Cyar Behave all day; entire sections were singing it, yet at the judging points the music switched to Encore. That is not organic. That is not reflective of public sentiment. That is the result of DJs and band coordinators following predetermined lists rather than responding to the crowd. And when the judging points are known in advance, the opportunity for manipulation becomes obvious.
Announcing judging points is a fundamental error. It allows artists to lobby, DJs to adjust playlists, and bands to coordinate plays for maximum impact. This is not the spirit of Road March. This is stagecraft masquerading as road culture.
If the Road March is truly about the road, then the system must reflect that. No more judging at the Queen’s Park Oval, Soca Drome, or other predictable locations with stands and seated patrons. These are stages, not the road. Instead, TUCO should adopt a modern, fair, and transparent approach that captures what masqueraders are actually hearing and responding to.
A reformed system is not only possible—it is necessary. And the solutions are neither complicated nor unrealistic.
Key Reforms TUCO Must Implement
- Randomize judging points or eliminate fixed points entirely to prevent strategic manipulation.
- Use audio fingerprinting technology (similar to Shazam) to automatically detect and count songs along the parade route.
- Deploy neutral monitors within bands to record plays discreetly and consistently.
- Ban payments or sponsorships that influence DJs or bands to favor specific Road March–eligible songs.
- Require transparency through published logs, timestamps, and band-by-band breakdowns.
- Introduce a “People’s Road Choice” Award to capture public sentiment through verified voting, streaming data, and social media engagement.
These reforms would restore fairness, eliminate speculation, and ensure that the Road March reflects the true spirit of Carnival—freedom, authenticity, and celebration.
The legacy conversation matters here as well. Machel’s twelve wins are historic, but they are not equivalent to Kitchener’s eleven. Kitchener won because the people demanded his music. Machel wins because he understands how to work a system that TUCO refuses to update. Even he admitted on Corie Sheppard’s podcast that Cyar Behave couldn’t win because artists don’t understand the “energy of the stage.” But Road March is not supposed to be about the stage. It is about the road—the heartbeat of Carnival.
If TUCO continues to cling to a broken system, public trust will continue to erode. And once trust is gone, the cultural integrity of the Road March will go with it. TUCO already faces criticism for Calypso Fiesta and Calypso Monarch selections—that is a separate conversation, but it underscores a pattern of non-transparency and resistance to change.
Reforming the Road March is not an attack on tradition. It is a defense of it. By embracing modern technology and transparent practices, TUCO can protect the legacy of the competition, support artists equitably, and honor the will of the people who make Carnival what it is.
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