News

Skinny Banton recognised as cultural ambassador

New York State senator Jesse Hamilton (20th State District) and the West Indian American Day Carnival Association team has just recognised Grenadian soca artist...

Lisa Williams - Wed 15 Aug 2018

Swiss Soca Festival 2018

The Swiss Soca Festival, a brand new addition to the Soca Weekenders in 2017, is building on last year’s success with bigger venues for...

Lisa Williams - Tue 14 Aug 2018

Manchester Carnival carries on after shooting

A shooting incident after the first day of Manchester Caribbean Carnival failed to stop thousands of people enjoying the second day of the 46-year-old...

Stephen Spark - Mon 13 Aug 2018

Mighty Shadow to be awarded a doctorate by UWI in October

Veteran calypsonian Winston Bailey, better known as The Mighty Shadow, will be recognised for his contribution to the arts with a honorary degree from...

Lisa Williams - Mon 13 Aug 2018

News Review

Calypso pressure rises at London Tent semis

From the first note the ABC All Stars Band showed they were on cracking form; all three Soca Divettes were in their accustomed places;...

Stephen Spark - Mon 13 Aug 2018

Books News

Nobel Prize-winning British author VS Naipaul dies aged 85

British novelist Sir VS Naipaul, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature, has died at his home in London aged 85, his family have...

Joseph Charles - Sat 11 Aug 2018

Grenada Soca Monarch 2018 results

The finals of the 2018 Grenada soca monarch competition took place last night Friday 10 August but ended in the early hours of this...

Joseph Charles - Sat 11 Aug 2018

Fable, Fantasy and Folklore

Fable, Fantasy and Folklore is a multi-disciplinary arts exhibition of film, photography, painting and poetry that explores Caribbean identity and history through well-known fairy...

Lisa Williams - Thu 09 Aug 2018

Notting Hill organisers put a price on Panorama

As usual in early August in London, panyards are reverberating to the sound of practice sessions and enthusiasts are counting off the days until...

Stephen Spark - Wed 08 Aug 2018

News Review

The road to kaiso – London Calypso Tent 2018 opens

From the moment the ABC Band struck up, there was that familiar sense of pleasurable anticipation that comes each year with the start of...

Stephen Spark - Tue 07 Aug 2018

Junior fancy sailors set course for Notting Hill Nursery Carnival

Impatient for Carnival Monday in London? It’s sooner than you think – if you’re a child! The Notting Hill Nursery Carnival has been organised for...

Stephen Spark - Mon 06 Aug 2018

All aboard – Bounty Rum launches at Notting Hill Carnival

Saint Lucia Distillers (SLD) has chosen Notting Hill Carnival (26‑27 August) for the UK launch of its Bounty Rum, tagged ‘the Spirit of Saint...

Stephen Spark - Sun 05 Aug 2018

Trinidad Carnival marketing campaign comes to Notting Hill

The fightback has begun! Trinidad Carnival, for so long the dominant force in the Caribbean festival calendar, has realised that it can no longer...

Stephen Spark - Sat 04 Aug 2018

Ola and out – soca star flies back after London fracas

Soca-lovers hoping to catch Olatunji Yearwood at The Tabernacle in west London were disappointed with his no-show on Friday 3 August. Olatunji made a big...

Stephen Spark - Sat 04 Aug 2018

Mr Blood has his Pic-O-De-Crop

The finals of the 2018 Pic-O-De-Crop competition were held last night at the Kensington Oval, Barbados. There were 10 contestants in the running for...

Joseph Charles - Sat 04 Aug 2018

Carnival Feature

Notting Hill Carnival 2018 – back to the future

The hall was hot and steamy and reverberating to the sound of steelpan. Round the sides, stalls offered cold beers, rum punch, doubles and...

Stephen Spark - Wed 01 Aug 2018

Dean Ackin focused on ‘Brand T&T’ as Tribe turns 15

With its place on the Carnival landscape well established, Tribe is now taking the lead to ensure that Trinidad and Tobago’s place in Carnival...

Joseph Charles - Wed 01 Aug 2018

Party with the pioneers

For London’s carnivalists, Horniman’s Pleasance is associated with Panorama, but head there on Saturday 12 August and you’ll find a wonderful variety of family-oriented...

Joseph Charles - Tue 31 Jul 2018

Head south for Guyanese day

All Guyanese and their friends are invited to a picnic in the park on Saturday 5 August. Hosted by well-known south London-based DJ Emron, the...

Stephen Spark - Tue 31 Jul 2018

Lil Rick wins Sweet Soca title and Mikey is the Party...

The 2018 edition of Soca Royale which features the Party Monarch and Sweet Soca Monarch competition concluded in the early hours of this morning...

Joseph Charles - Mon 30 Jul 2018

Grenfell tombstone to loom over Carnival ‘for years’

The blackened shell of Grenfell Tower in North Kensington may remain standing for years, BBC News reported recently. The 24-storey block of flats, easily...

Stephen Spark - Fri 27 Jul 2018

Carnival footnote for K&C Art Weekend

West London is celebrating art and artists this weekend. Kensington & Chelsea is holding its first-ever Art Weekend from Friday 27 to Sunday 29...

Stephen Spark - Fri 27 Jul 2018

Calypso stars ready to light up the London Tent

The annual treat for the capital’s calypso-lovers is upon us! The London Calypso Tent, run by the Association of Calypsonians UK (ACUK), opens its...

Stephen Spark - Thu 26 Jul 2018

Play mas in China with Elimu

Masqueraders look east! Elimu Mas Academy has been invited to take part in the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Festival – known...

Joseph Charles - Tue 24 Jul 2018

Carnival Village betrayed! Finance officer jailed for massive fraud

Former finance officer of Carnival Village Trust (CVT) Nadia Deone Chase-Ali has started a six-year jail sentence for stealing nearly £800,000 from the charity. Between...

Stephen Spark - Wed 18 Jul 2018

News Review

Island Brunch

New on the West London event scene, Island Brunch is the concept of Dale and Chad (definitely that way round, to stop me thinking...

Katie Segal - Wed 18 Jul 2018

Saint Lucia 2018 Groovy and Power Soca Monarch results

King Arthur continues his reign as Groovy Soca Monarch and Ricky T adds another title to his ever-growing list of wins as he captures the...

Joseph Charles - Mon 16 Jul 2018