By CAROL MATROO Sunday, January 6 2013

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Six-time Band of the Year leader Brian MacFarlane stands next to a mannequin dressed in a costume from one of the sections in his presentation for Car...

One day after heated outbursts and arguments and a vow to boycott this year’s Kings and Queens of Carnival on Big Friday, masqueraders and producers of costumes have agreed to participate at this year’s competition. This about-face comes even though the competition will still be held on Big Friday, the same night as the Soca Monarch competition and at the Queen’s Park Savannah, not far from the Queen’s Park Oval venue for the soca competition.

Trini Revellers band leader, David Cameron, confirmed that the show will go on yesterday in a telephone interview.

Cameron said initial concerns of the Carnival Kings and Queens competition being held on the same night as the Soca Monarch Finals — that crowd response would be negatively affected with patrons opting rather to attend the Soca Monarch Finals — had been discussed but that a consensus was reached after all concerned parties agreed that there will be changes in 2014 and beyond.

But while the masqueraders and producers of the kings and queens’ costumes were battling over the date of the show, veteran masman Brian MacFarlane, a six-time band of the year winner, said he was all in favour of having the competition on Big Friday.

“That was one of the ideas I had put across to them last year. The Dimanche Gras is a total disaster of a seven-to-eight-hour boring show that has no standard of songs that have no lyrics,” he said

“The youngest performer has no desire to go back into Dimanche Gras competition, and it was learned that in 2013 that the Calypso Monarch (competition) was out, that left the only people competing were the kings and queens, and one of the things we had put forward to the NCBA was why not, if it is the way it is going

“I don’t think it’s the best way we have going, but ...I relish the years that we have had the top pan, the top mas, the top calypsoes, the first mas, bidding for the first place on Dimanche Gras since 1948.

“What is happening is that the different entities have their own right, so I think the next thing after that is the winners of all of the winners be presented on Carnival Sunday night which is Dimanche Gras, that is the best choice, I think,” MacFarlane said.

He said the Kings and Queen’s competition would be affected since most nights would be taken up with other events, anyway.

“The only method left I think was (choosing) the Friday night. I personally don’t think that the Soca Monarch crowd or the patrons are the ones who follow the Kings and Queens competition. I think there is room for both of them.

“There are people for the Kings and Queens and people who go to the Soca Monarch. I think it’s two different entities I know there is much hoorah about it, and I know people are kicking fuss about it, I don’t really have much of a problem with it,” MacFarlane said.

However, Cameron said it was bad planning jeopardising the Kings and Queens show because anything with the Soca Monarch could attract 30,000 or more.

“That King and Queen Show needs proper marketing, proper planning and proper choreographing, so that we would have a proper show. Regrettably plenty people will not have that.

“There were many changes, but it was who had the responsibility...The National Carnival Committee did not have its electorate until December, so prior to that nothing was done.

“To me there is no revelation in this thing, it’s lacking, a lot of people are feeling disenchanted, but they don’t want to jeopardise the Carnival until they have met with the committee, they have had meetings and the compromise is that they will go ahead with the show in 2013,” Cameron said.