The 30th Annual Carriacou Parang Festival season climaxed on the weekend of
Friday 14 to Sunday 16 December 2007.
Festivities began on Friday with a free open-air concert in the streets of
Hillsborough featuring carol singing, cultural presentations and parang string
bands, followed by house to house ""paranging"" all night.
On Saturday night there were live performances from entertainers from around
the world.
On Sunday organized parang groups from villages throughout Carriacou, Grenada
and Petite Martinique competed for the chalenge trophy and cash prizes,
performing a compulsory Christmas Carol and their selected piece.
Traditional Carriacou celebration dances such as the Quadrille and Big Drum
also spiced up the night.
Were you on Carriacou during Parang?
Then please write your comments here.
Results of the competition are highly appreciated.
I attached a picture of Parang on Carriacou, some 30 years ago.

The results of Carriacou Parang festival.

Parang String Bands Competition
Position #1 B B H Serenaders

Position #2 Men From Mainland

Position #3 B C Stars

Position #4 Ghetto Youths

Position #5 Boys From Camoon

Position #6 Strugglers

I found following on target="_blank">http://eventsuk.britishairways.com/sisp/index.htm?fx=event&event_id=160067


The Carriacou Parang Festival is a fun and lively lesson in one of the oldest musical genres of the Caribbean islands, parang, and takes place on the streets of the Hillsborough region of Carriacou island.
String bands dressed in garish Caribbean garb perform open-air concerts featuring carol singing, in keeping with the Christmas season. Organised parang groups from local villages compete for a trophy and cash prizes, and festival dances include the Quadrille, the European dance from the 18th century, and the spectacular African Big Drum dance.

Then theres a good page from Grenadines net on http://www.grenadines.net/carriacou/parang.html

Best Dress Band Ghetto Youths
Best Cleanest Lyrics B B H Serenaders
Best Rendered Test_Piece Men From Mainland
Best Melee Composition B B H Serenaders
Best Chorous B B H Serenaders

Results of Promotional Jingle for Co-op Bank

1st Prize of $500.00 Ghetto Youths
2nd Prize of $300.00 Men From Mainland
3rd Prize of $200.00 B C Stars




LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS TO CARRIACOU PARANG FESTIVAL 2006

GOVERNMENT OF GRENADA $7,500.00
GRENADA CO-OPERATIVE BANK $7,500.00
GRENADA ELECTRICITY SERVICES LTD $2,800.00
MACKERSON STOUT $2,000.00
ADE'S DREAM $1,500.00
GRENADA GENERAL INSURANCE LTD $1,500.00
GRENADA BENEVOLENT SOCIETY $1,296.78
CARIB $1,000.00
B & C FUEL-PETITE MARTINIQUE $1,000.00
LAQUA BROTHER'S FUNERAL HOME $1,000.00
FAMILY STORE $500.00
MALICK'S ENTERPRISE $500.00
JOHN'S UNIQUE $500.00
EASY SHOPPING( COCONUT BAR) $500.00
CARDINAL OLLIVIERRE $500.00
GRENADA BOARD OF TOURISM $500.00
POPE CONSTRUCTION $300.00
MARTIN & WAYNE AUTO RENTAL $200.00
BARBA'S AUTO RENTAL $200.00
FLEX AUTO WORLD $200.00
MR. & MRS. DUDLEY & PHYLLIS NURSE $100.00
MRS. ALICE PRIMUS $100.00

Foreign Artists who performed at Parang 1986 – 2000

Antigua
The Mighty Swallow

Barbados
“Rass Ily”
“Red Plastic Bag”
The “Mighty Gryner”
Comedian – McFingal

Jamaica
Roy Rayon
Comedian – Oliver Samuel

Montserrat
Radio Announcer – “Dubie” Richards

Trinidad & Tobago
“Gypsy”
“Penguin”
“Bomber”
“Cro Cro”
“The Baron”
“Alrounder”
“Chalk Dust”
“Roots Man”
“Pink Panter”
“Trinidad Rio”
“Lady Wonder”
“David Rudder”
“Mighty Crazy”
The “Protector”
“Prince Unique”
Anslem Douglas
Marcia Miranda
Machel Montano

COMEDIANS:
Errol Fabian
“Nicky Crosby”
“John Agitation”
“Tommy Joseph”
Paul Kings Douglas

St. Vincent & The Grenadines

“Posa”

“The Professor”

“Vibrating Skakes"



BANDS

Atlantic (TNT)

X-TA-C (B”DOS)

Some of the Parang band winners from over the years Years 1st Position 2nd Position 3rd Position
1985 Eastern Bees Country Boys

1986 Y T T Boys Country Boys Eastern Bees
1987 Country Boys Ghetto Boys Central Serenaders
1988 Country Boys Ghetto Boys Central Serenaders
1989 Central Serenaders Country Boys Ghetto Boys
1990 Country Boys Central Serenaders Ghetto Boys
1991 Ghetto Boys Country Boys Central Serenaders
1992 Country Boys Ghetto Boys Central Serenaders
1993 Ghetto Boys Mamma Determinators Central Serenaders
1994 Central Serenaders Determinators Ghetto Boys
1995 B B H Serenaders Ghetto Boys Central Serenaders
1996 Ghetto Boys Determinators B B H Serenaders
1997 Ghetto Boys Central Serenaders B B H Serenaders
1998 Ghetto Boys Men From The Mainland B B H Serenaders
1999 Ghetto Boys Men From The Mainland Western Invaders
2000 Ghetto Boys Men From The Mainland B B H Serenaders
2001
Ghetto Boys Men From Mainland
B C Stars

2002
Ghetto Boys B C Stars
Men From Mainland





CRITERIA FOR JUDGING

PHOTOS FROM PARANG
(CLICK UNDERLINED TO OPEN)
~ New Tide Carolers ~
Senior Hosanna Champion

~ Central Serenaders ~

~ Duet Category Parang Song Festival Winners ~

~ Ghetto Boys ~

~ Strugglers ~

~ BBH Serenaders ~

~ Natasha Williams ~

~ Niketa & Sasha ~

~ Ghetto Boys ~

~ Parang Song Festival winner - Duet ~

~ Determinators ~

~ Western Invaders ~

~ Men from the Main Land ~

~ B C Stars ~

From http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/3220
In Europe they have the Eurovision Song Contest; in Carriacou, there’s Parang, which features slightly less ridiculous outfits but has all sorts of other elements of competitive showmanship:

The main _object_ive of organizing the festival was to revive and keep alive the “house to house” serenading of string bands. At that time this indigenous aspect of our culture was slowing dying. …
Carriacou Parang is filled with fun, humor and excitement. The lyrics in the songs are rather controversial at times, since they reflect on political events in the country, historical events and the social wrong doings that occur in people’s lives through out the year. The festival is held in the form of a competition, with organized parang groups from villages through out Carriacou & Petit Martinique and even Grenada all competing for cash prizes along with a challenge trophy.
The groups are comprised of not more than eight (8) members and they are all dressed in colorful outfits to reflect the festive season. All of the instruments used for this occasion are percussion instruments, these include: _base_ drum, iron, guitar, quarto, violin, marack (shack – shack), mandolin, saxophone, tambourine and any other percussion instrument that can make a melodious sound.