Ebuzz News
Christmas in July Gets Boost with Latin Fusion Music Festival.
In Trinidad and Tobago, efforts to sustain the soca parang industry have seen the rise of mid-year, Christmas celebrations. Dubbed ‘Christmas in July,’ the new age dynamic has taken off, with radio stations and television networks capitalizing on the energy that many across the country, gleefully entertain. Already, the excitement is on and what better time to host a Latin Fusion Music festival, than the present.
Well known, loved and respected parang vocalist, Alicia Jaggasar takes the stage this weekend at Estate 101 in Maraval, for the first ever Latin Fusion Music Festival. The event will also feature Mario Wallerson, Shauntel Skeete, Sonja Chase, Amrika Mutro and EFX The Band, under the musical direction of Emile Fortune.
A media release issued explains that Jaggasar, the 11 time reigning Parang Queen of T&T, is the brainchild of La Casa de Fusión (The House of Fusion). Latin Fusion Music Festival will be a part of La Casa de Fusión’s annual fundraiser, which aims to raise funds to create the first Parang Training Institute in Trinidad and Tobago. Through that initiative, Jaggasar and her supporting team hope to assist youth, and enforce community development.
Saturday’s show will start at 7pm, and will feature a guest performance by the incredible, Baron.
El Alma de Parranda- the name of the institute being formed, will be the formalization of 30 years of work done with the nation’s youth. Jaggasar has produced several concerts, tutored and established parang groups, as well as young calypsonians. She has worked with schools across the country and says the institute will provide knowledge and training on the Parang art-form, using parang music as a medium to teach the Spanish language.
The festival also includes a dance competition, “Bailando” and invites dance schools, dancers and enthusiasts to enter for an opportunity to win cash prizes of between $2,0000 and $5,0000.
Ebuzz News
100 Days To T&T Carnival – Big Launch, Big Vibes to Hit Port of Spain, this Friday.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Greatest Show on Earth has, for years, been a tourist attraction. With 100 days to go before the two-day street parade in Port-of-Spain, the excitement is steadily building and with momentum, the National Carnival Commission is moving full speed ahead.
Carnival 2026 will be publicly launched at the Brian Lara Promenade on Friday, November 7th. The NCC, in a media release said the spectacle will begin at 9am and go through the day, transforming the city’s hub into an active thoroughfare featuring all things T&T carnival. Th event will feature traditional Carnival characters, informative workshops and exhibitions, a mini concert from reigning Panorama champions, Republic Bank Exodus Steel Orchestra, and much more. “In bringing Carnival to the city, we’re hoping to bring people to the city to come out and show their support for the culture, for the NCC, the Special Interest Groups, the vendors and small business community, and the Regional Carnivals because we’re all part of Trinidad and Tobago Carnival,” said NCC Chairman, Peter Kanhai.
TEACHING THE YOUTH ABOUT CARNIVAL
This year, the NCC will introduce something they’re calling, “The Children’s Zone,” where school children and their parents and guardians will be able to experience a distinct youth-oriented energy to Trinidad and Tobago’s Carnival. The zone will feature cultural exhibitions, displays, giveaways and more, even offering youths the opportunity to pen a ‘Love Letter to Carnival.’ “School children would be invited to write what it is they love about Trinidad and Tobago Carnival for a mural that will be displayed at the Grand Stand, Queen’s Park Savannah for Carnival next year,” the press release explained.
At 4pm, a concert will engage the public with performances by Swappi, Terri Lyons, Orlando Octave, Ravi B, Drupatee, Shal Marshall, Erphaan Alves and other featured cultural acts.
Back in August, at the corporate launch of Carnival, Minister of Culture, the Arts and Community Development, Michelle Benjamin, shared her ministry’s vision for carnival.
Ebuzz News
Bob Marley Foundation to Jamaica: “We’ll Rise Again.”
What has been described by the National Hurricane Centre as the most catastrophic hurricane of 2026 – Hurricane Melissa, has moved past Jamaica and now moves onward to Cuba and neighboring territories. In the aftermath of the brutal natural disaster, videos across social media show fallen trees, massive swells, invasive water courses through streets and byways and certainly, infrastructural wreckage. The people of Jamaica, though resilient, are in need of strength and aid to rebuild.
The Bob Marley Foundation and the Bob Marley Museum, in a social media post said despite having gone through the hurricane, “we’re still standing.” The honorary organizations that stand in memory of Jamaica’s most loved icon, Bob Marley, relayed via social media, “The winds may have shaken us, but they could never break our spirit.” Noting that the journey to rebuild will not be an overnight one, the post read, “but together, we’ll rise again- stronger, more united and full of love.”
Consistent in the Marley legacy’s tone and posture of love and unity, the expression continued, “We can’t wait to spread the message of peace and love with you once more and help in whatever way we can. Until then, hold on to hope and remember – every little thing is gonna be alright.”
The government of Jamaica has created an official digital platform for information, and for the global community’s input where relief and assistance is concerned.
Visit https://supportjamaica.gov.jm. The website lists a preliminary needs list, which includes items such as batteries, bedding foam, flashlights, lanterns, mattresses, pillowcases, pillows, mobile storage units, heavy duty garbage bags and certainly much more.
