Put your dancing shoes on and tune up the cuatro, because parang season is here!
With September designated as Parang History Month, the National Parang Association of Trinidad and Tobago launched this year’s parang celebrations, which aim to showcase the talents of senior and junior parranderos, and bring the message of Christmas to communities across the country.
According to the President of the National Parang Association of Trinidad and Tobago, Alicia Jaggasar, the 2025 installation will highlight the traditional parang style.
“Parranderos will once again compose aguinaldos, celebrating the announcement and the birth of Jesus Christ, while also showcasing a variety of traditional parang styles. Our mission remains clear: to empower communities and bring the message of Christmas through parang music, inspiring citizens across the nation.”
She also announced that the House Parang Festival will again be part of the celebrations, which will take a heartfelt twist.
“Because we are not free to just go and parang any and anybody, what we did is we partnered with persons in the area, parang groups, and we would have looked for persons who are maybe not well, icons in the area who can no longer come out. So we will actually be visiting those homes. It will be a surprise to them. However, one person from that family will know about it.”
The Junior Parang competition will be in full swing as the Association continues to promote youth involvement.
NPATT Youth Officer Joseph Bertrand said the festival is a place for young people to learn, develop and find their voices through parang music.
“The 2025 festival is themed ‘Parang is Community’ and it reaffirms the legacy by placing our young people and those around them at the heart of every initiative. The festival will celebrate parang not just as an art form but as a living expression of our shared identity, mentorship, and cultural pride. Every note, every initiative, will echo the message that parang thrives where people come together.”
This year will also see the reintroduction of the senior band competition and the introduction of new prizes in the individual categories.