Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has announced that the Grand Stand at the Queen’s Park Savannah will be refurbished and renamed in honour of the late Slinger Francisco, the Mighty Sparrow.
The announcement was made as the Prime Minister paid tribute to the calypso legend during his State-assisted funeral on Friday.
His music, achievements, family and extraordinary life were celebrated as the nation joined relatives, friends and members of the cultural fraternity to bid a final farewell to Slinger Francisco, the Mighty Sparrow.
During her tribute, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced that Sparrow’s legacy will be permanently etched into the nation’s cultural landscape, revealing that the Grand Stand at the Queen’s Park Savannah will be renamed in his honour.
“I am therefore deeply honoured to announce that the Grand Stand at the Queen’s Park Savannah will bear the name of Dr. Slinger Francisco, the Mighty Sparrow. From this day forward, when Trinidad and Tobago gathers there to celebrate our culture, the name Sparrow will stand above all of us.”
Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley used her tribute to call for the Mighty Sparrow’s work to be formally incorporated into the Caribbean’s education curriculum.
“That seminal song which I chose to start this evening with, this afternoon with, Slave, which I hope,Kamla, that you an I can join and persuade the rest of our fellow Prime Ministers must be a core part of the CXC curriculum so that every single child, every single child of this Caribbean understands both the pain but the mission that that song presented.”
Minister of Culture and Community Development, Michelle Benjamin, also offered an emotional tribute, describing Sparrow’s music as the soundtrack of the nation’s history.
“How do we measure the life of a man who gave our nation not just songs but the sound-track to our history. So I kept asking myself how. For me this farewell seems especially personal because in my house Sparrow songs play every day.”
Meanwhile, Sparrow’s daughter, Michelle Francisco, shared a personal reflection on one of her father’s life lessons.
“Daddy taught me that even when you work hard and you do your best life will not always give you what you expect. Sometimes life will hand you lemons and you can make lemonade. But according to Daddy, if life hands you limes don’t cry about it and don’t waste your time trying to make lemonade. He said to Miche move on and make yourself some lime juice.”
Slinger Francisco, the Mighty Sparrow, passed away in New York on September 27th, 2026, at the age of 91, surrounded by his family.