Pan Trinbago will be celebrating Pan Month throughout the month of August with a host of events to celebrate Trinidad and Tobago’s national musical instrument, the steelpan.
In July 2024, the steelpan was officially proclaimed the National Musical Instrument of Trinidad and Tobago.
In celebration of the first anniversary of this recognition, Pan Trinbago hosted several events in August 2025.
Public Relations Officer of Pan Trinbago, Kwesi Moore, said the organisation will continue to celebrate August as Pan Month this year.
‘We’ve rebranded the entire month of activities and festivities to ‘August Fest’. So Pan Trinbago usually has a lot going on for August, and that’s why we call it Pan Month, a celebration of our national musical instrument. I believe last year we would have launched with a one-year commemoration of the steelpan being officially being proclaimed as the national musical instrument of Trinidad and Tobago. A very small intimate corporate evening, I would say, and this year we’re doing things a little bit differently, on a grander scale.”
He said that the grander scale will take the form of a black-tie event at the Radisson Hotel on August 2nd.
“It is a fundraiser,. It’s being put on by the youth arm of Pan Trinbago. Spearheaded by our Education Officer, Mrs Candice Andrews-Brumant, and what is intended here, well yes, a thousand dollars may sound a bit steep, but it really is to support all our youth-based initiatives and events. Just recently we would have concluded Steelpan Fusion Fest, where we went around to different panyards throughout the length and breadth of Trinidad and Tobago listening to the youth orchestras put on a 15-minute performance, and we brought a lot of crowds to them, and it was very entertaining and engaging.”
Mr Moore added that the intention is to provide a platform for young pannists to display their talents.
“Young persons in the steelpan fraternity don’t get much opportunity, outside of Junior Panorama, to showcase themselves. So that was one initiative that we did and as we get further into Pan Month, I could reveal right now that on World Steelpan Day, which we celebrate on August 11th, it is our third year, third year, it will be prominently the youth steel orchestras taking over Port of Spain.”
Pan Trinbago’s PRO indicated that there will be a host of other events throughout the month to engage people across the country.
“Throughout the entire August Fest, for Pan Month, we do have events that are free as gifts to the nation, to the public. Pan and Powder on August 19th, for example. Our Eastern region is putting on an event on the 7th, First Fridays Lime, a small event for 50 dollars, a 50-dollar contribution. So there is something in it for everyone in August Fest. And, of course, our theme for August Fest, Pan Month, this year is ‘Rhythm and Rise’ but most importantly I think are the key words under that, which are Youth, Discipline, Culture and Community.”
Mr Moore noted that every member of the Pan Trinbago executive has purchased a ticket for the black-tie event, as there will be no complimentary tickets for Sunday’s fundraising event.