Story and photos courtesy Overtime Media
The people’s champ, Aaron “Voice” St Louis put the icing on the “Runaway” cake baked by expert event promoters, Kairi People at the South Ranch in Debe last Wednesday with a spirited performance onstage as the sun set on the southland.
Following the Soca Queen, Patrice Roberts as she represented for the ladies at sunset, Voice took command of the Carnival-ready, Soca-loving masses gathered for this annual mid-week excursion into the Carnival fete realm.
From as early as 10 am, the traffic heading south began to accumulate as patrons “ran away” from their regular schedules and duties to experience the new venue and ambience for what many patrons described as a “must attend” event.
Relocated to the spacious and scenic South Ranch complex in Debe, Penal, this event priced at just $600 upheld the Kairi People mandate “to provide the best value for money”.
Complete with scores of delectable dishes and desserts: everything from Creole food staples to roti and doubles, crab and dumplings, bake and shark, BBQ, corn soup and pigtail and more, patrons lined up in orderly fashion while making many fashion statements as our photos will illustrate. Mature folks understand that eating well is just as, if not more, important than drinking when partying, so they made sure to have their late lunches/early dinners prior to and following a mid-afternoon shower that raised the humidity and gave positive purpose to the Kairi-branded fans and cups received on entry.
Referencing the price again, one might expect a heavy DJ line up with one or two live acts, but Kairi People assembled a stellar cast that kept the audience on their toes dancing the evening away around the pool, on the elevated deck overlooking the stage and all around the venue.
From the time Grenadian bard, Wrenroy “Blaka Dan” Ogiste hit the stage with his “Blessing” at 4 pm, the live action continued with a solid string of Soca stars sharing their favored and latest releases in turn. Teddyson John from St Lucia represented with his first 2025 release, “Play Mas” as well as past hits like “Vent” and “Allez”. Wadicks and Ding Dong followed soon after with College Boy Jesse completing D All Starz frontline showing, before Road March King, Mical Teja made an early appearance warming up for Farmer Nappy, who flattened the dance with his extensive catalogue and veteran stage presence.
Runaway’s new venue accommodated the masses and surpassed expectations, although Ding Dong’s impromptu survey on stage revealed a distinct preference for the previous location in Salybia. However, by the time the night was over, most feteing quotas had been filled and the spirit of Carnival had made its presence felt in November, mere days before the NCC’s official launch scheduled for next Saturday, November 23 at the Queen’s Park Savannah in Port of Spain.
