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RICHARD MONTANO and Laverne Smith are the 2026 Jouvert King and Queen respectively. The pair were crowned after the ole mas competition that heralded the start of the Merry Monarch at South Quay in Port of Spain.

A small crowd in the Lord Kitchener Stands and on the pavement enjoyed the traditional old mas competition, a staple in the Carnival calendar. The event, however, has been attracting fewer audiences over the years.

Montano and Smith took jabs at current affairs in the country, particularly politics, to win over the judges. Montano’s presentation, “U-N See Running D-Corn-Tree”, gave a comical display of a corn tree being operated by remote control, with Montano seen running after it as the corn tree continued to elude him. He also won Most Creative.