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Competition, Carnival 2026

Dimanche Gras 2026

  • Past event

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 (times TBC)

Queen's Park Savannah (Grand Stand), Port of Spain

This event has finished, so tickets are no longer on sale.

A huge king or queen style Carnival costume in purple, lilac and silver with fanned spikes, swirls and painted masks spreads across a stage at night in Port of Spain, the wearer at its centre (photo from a past Carnival)

Image credit: Holger Woizick, via Unsplash, Unsplash License

How it went

Terri Lyons won the 2026 National Calypso Monarch title at Dimanche Gras with "Blessings", scoring 263 points and drawing the only standing ovation of the night. Rivaldo London was second on 245 and Rikki Jai (Samraj Jaimungal) third on 241. The winner's prize was TT$1 million and a new vehicle. At the Senior Kings and Queens of Carnival finals, also on Dimanche Gras, Curtis Eustace ("Spirit of Mandingo, Ah African Legend", 437 points) and Roxanne Omalo ("Duchess of the Dark Skies", 431 points) retained their crowns.

Results

  1. Calypso Monarch: Terri Lyons, "Blessings" (263 points)
  2. 2nd: Rivaldo London (245 points)
  3. 3rd: Rikki Jai (Samraj Jaimungal) (241 points)
  4. King of Carnival: Curtis Eustace, "Spirit of Mandingo, Ah African Legend" (437 points), his 11th title
  5. Queen of Carnival: Roxanne Omalo, "Duchess of the Dark Skies" (431 points), her third title in a row

What happened

Dimanche Gras, the Sunday night show before Carnival, was held at the Grand Stand of the Queen's Park Savannah. The headline result was the National Calypso Monarch final, organised with the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians' Organisation (TUCO).

Terri Lyons, performing eighth, delivered "Blessings" and earned the only standing ovation of the night. She scored 263 points to take the crown, the TT$1 million first prize and a new SUV. Rivaldo London placed second with 245 points and Rikki Jai (Samraj Jaimungal) third with 241.

Kings and Queens

Dimanche Gras has traditionally been linked with the King and Queen of Carnival costume competition, and in 2026 the finals of the Senior Kings and Queens of Carnival were held on Dimanche Gras. Both reigning monarchs defended their titles. Curtis Eustace took the King title with "Spirit of Mandingo, Ah African Legend" (437 points), his 11th crown, and Roxanne Omalo won Queen with "Duchess of the Dark Skies" (431 points), completing a hat-trick of consecutive titles, as reported by TTT. That report does not say where the Kings and Queens final was staged, so we have not assumed it shared the Grand Stand with the Calypso Monarch final.

Looking ahead

Dimanche Gras 2027 falls on Sunday 7 February 2027.

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Sources

  1. TTT: Terri Lyons crowned 2026 Calypso Monarch with Blessings
  2. TTT: Calypso Monarch to receive $1 million and new car
  3. TTT: Curtis Eustace and Roxanne Omalo retain Carnival crowns (16 Feb 2026)

Last verified 3 October 2026. Spotted something wrong? Send a correction.

Part of the Carnival 2026 archive.