DAVID RUDDER'S concert kicks off a packed week of activities as Tobago's second carnival enters its final leg.
The three-hour concert - the highlight of Barcode's I Love Soca series - is being held today at the Shaw Park Cultural Complex from 4 pm.
In April, Rudder, 70, told the media he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
On that occasion, he said his 7.0 concert, which was held in May at the Sound Forge, Mucurapo, would be his last major performance.
But today, Rudder, backed by a full band, is expected to perform several of his classics alongside other local acts, including MX Prime, Duvone Stewart, Adana Roberts, Sekon Sta and Gerard Balfour.
In other events, the opening of the carnival festival grounds takes place tomorrow on the Scarborough Esplanade.
There, visitors will be able to enjoy a variety of culinary delights as well as an art and craft exhibition, featuring indigenous pieces and other items. Lively entertainment is also expected to be provided at the venue throughout the week.
The Tobago Titans of Soca competition, one of the eagerly anticipated events of the season, is being held on the esplanade on October 25.
Roston Simon (Culture B), who won last year's title with his song, Strong Rum, will face a dynamic line-up of competitors.
They are Jeffrey Thomas (Prince Unique); Jumaane 'Jube' Cox; Omari 'Tripp' Orr; Gerard Balfour; Caston Cupid; Bernardo 'Tam Tam' Thompson; Jhervon 'Royal' Jackson; Lyndon 'D Dapper' Patterson; Anderson Mc Phee, and Adrian 'Num Num' Isaac.
On October 26, all roads lead to the Cyd Gray Sporting Complex for Rox Glo. From there, party lovers can then head to Pigeon Point for the Hush cooler fete.
Mug Fest, Pan Trinbago's Rhythm Steel and Powder and Vibes With Voicey (Aaron St Louis) are the major events scheduled to take place on October 27 in Bacolet, Scarborough and at the Shaw Park Cultural Complex, respectively.
And on October 28, the capital city is expected to be transformed into a sea of mud with Mud Is Life and Tobago Dutty J'Ouvert's presentations. The revelry continues in the evening with D'Masquerade (Night Mas) in Scarborough.
The parade of the bands, on October 29, brings the curtain down on Tobago carnival 2023.
Tobago October Carnival Association (TOCA) interim president Dexter Sandy told Sunday Newsday things are progressing smoothly.
'Everything is in full swing. Bands have stopped registration basically for pretty mas. We still have registration going on for J'Ouvert and they are reporting that we are getting good uptake in terms of sales. So we should see increased numbers on the road when compared with last year,' he said.
Sandy, bandleader of Iconic Mas, said some 14 bands have registered for conventional mas, 22 for J'Ouvert, seven for night mas and 11 for traditional mas.
He said TOCA has also spoken with the police about road management.
'All systems are go. The bands have been clustered and we have worked out our clusters in terms of how we are going on the road.'
All that's left to do, Sandy said, is
