Parang Music Festival

Parang is one of our earliest unique traditions of fork music which has bridged the gap between ethnicity, culture and generations and has preserved the linkage between Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela. The diverse culture within Trinidad and Tobago has led to a variety of music, one being parang. Parang music is seasonal and is often referred to as Trinidad’s Christmas carol, which is played and relished around the festive season of Christmas, which begins mid-October and ends on 6^th January at the “Feast of Epiphany.” During this period, the National Parang Association of Trinidad and Tobago (NPATT) organised various competitions to promote and preserve parang music.

The high-spiritedness and liveliness of the parang music can entice you swaying within seconds.

Lopinot, Caura, Arima and Paramin are famous places where parang music originated as part of their cultural heritage reflected in their ethnicity of Amerindian, French, Spanish and African ancestry. Parang music continues to grow and evolve, breaking boundaries with new bands emerging and are part of the school curriculum that is enjoyed by the young minds. Parang has also branched into parang soca and chutney parang soca with the last two decades.

Prominent areas where parang music is prevalent, groups of musicians called parranderos entertain their community members at Christmas time, which involves visiting their home and engaging in singing, dancing and sharing of food and drinks.

The renowned Alexandra “Daisy” Voisin was an artistic legacy and pioneer to the art form of parang music with her explosive performance.