BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – ACCORDING to a recently released song for Carnival 2010/2011 by the NuVybes Band, Road March in St. Kitts and Nevis Carnival is out of style.
The song states that is what people are saying because they are unsure of the judging criteria. It states that people just want to jam (street dancing) and enjoy themselves and not to worry which song would win the Road March.
Road March Champion is the title given to the song that is played most often at the ‘judging points’ along the designated route during Carnival. This competition is usually held wherever there is Carnival in the Caribbean and it was first introduced in Trinidad and Tobago in 1932.
In the latter years of St. Kitts Carnival, the Road March Champion is seen as the yardstick by which bands are measured, especially since that there are no official band contests.
The main attraction for winning this title is the bragging-rights that the winner and their fans will have over other competing bands and a small cash prize from the Carnival Committee. Additionally, the winner usually gets the opportunity to attend regional and international events as the St. Kitts Road March Champion.
According to Clement ‘Monarch’ O’Garro, Chairman of the St. Kitts-Nevis Carnival Committee, the Road March would be judged on J’Ouvert - December 27 and January 1, which is Parade Day.
Grandmasters Band is the reigning Champion, having won the title for three consecutive years and will be looking for an unprecedented fourth victory. However, they are expected to get strong competition from the Small Axe and NuVybes Bands.
Reigning Leeward Islands Calypso King and St. Kitts Soca Monarch, Konris Maynard could be a threat to them should he put together a band, as some sources claimed he is planning to do.
Since the start of the new-song releases for this Carnival season, fans have been talking, debating, writing, singing and even fighting about the matchup to come on J’Ouvert morning. They have even dubbed that day Band Election Day.
Regardless which band comes out victorious, fans can expect an explosive Carnival season, especially if there were clashes on the road among Grandmasters, NuVybes and Smallaxe.
According to the criteria, on J’Ouvert morning, each registered song would be judged no more than twice at each judging station for each band.
