Mas Bands Battle for Carnival King and Queen Titles

Carnival may dazzle from a distance, but up close, every feather, bead, and towering costume carries a story. On Saturday night, those stories took center stage at the Belize Civic Center, where mas bands transformed months of creativity and hard work into full-blown spectacle. They were competing for the coveted Carnival King and Queen titles, but the night was also a celebration of culture, imagination, and craftsmanship. Shane Williams takes us behind the costumes and hears from this year’s winners.

 

Shane Williams, Reporting

Under the bright lights of the Belize Civic Center, carnival came alive in a spectacular display of color, creativity, and culture. But these costumes were more than just steel, pipes and glitter. Each one was designed to tell a story and for the masqueraders competing for the Carnival King and Queen crowns, every detail mattered. And when the results were announced, Mother Nature Creation had plenty to celebrate. The group swept the senior category, capturing both the Senior King and Senior Queen titles.

 

Vanessa Williams, Senior Queen Mother Nature

“It feels great. I mean, I had a lot of support as a lot of people pushed me. I was deciding not to go back, but my team, they was all behind me and it does feel great to bring home back this victory.”

 

While this was Vanessa Wlliams’ second victory as queen, her king Ryan Davis takes the crown for the first time and spoke to us about their winning depictions.

 

Ryan Davis, Senior King, Mother Nature

“ My costume is backed up from stars, moon. Well, my character is King Aurelius, sovereign of planetary tempest, which means that I bring the light while my queen brings the shadows. So with that being said, it’s the balance, the push, the pull, the love, the hate, the creation and the destruction of everything, which manifests in every creation and every synchronicity. So without her, my balance, my power goes unchecked. So this is the story between every living relationship within the universe that tells. It transcends to everything from us to the universe.”

 

But the senior division wasn’t the only category making an impression. The future of carnival was also on display, with young masqueraders bringing their own energy and creativity to the competition. Collet Royals captured the Junior Queen title, while Soca Massive took home the Junior King crown.

 

Jerilee Enriquez, Junior Queen, Collet Royals

“ My costume is all about all hard-working seamstresses in our community, whereby, like, they help us with beautiful costume, or if we need something to like go out, we always have our seamstresses to help us out with our wonderful and colorful costumes.”

 

Nile Hamilton, Junior King, Soca Massive

“What most I like about Carnival is about excitements, the crowd, the dance, the energy, how everybody move and thing.”

 

And while the crowns went to the winners, every band brought something different to the stage. The results may determine who wears the crowns, but the spectacle of carnival belongs to everyone who helps bring the celebration to life.

 

Keeran Ysaguirre, Soca Moca

“Come out. Come out, enjoy yourself, have fun. That’s Carnival for you. Just to have fun.”

 

For this year’s winners, the celebration is only beginning. And for everyone else, all eyes are set on the upcoming Carnival Road March. Shane Williams for News Five.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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