Literally jumping with the announcement of her name as this year’s Queen of Carnival,  Latisha Greene eagerly stepped into her new title, before becoming emotional as the realisation sunk in.

Remaining consistent throughout the evening, Greene walked away with the swimwear and evening wear segments, her toned proportions and elegant gait, undeniable. The Queen wore an exquisite fuchsia gown entitled “Metamorphosis”, designed Adalia of Deshaun which won the designer’s category.

Capturing the first runner-up position on Monday night was Satriece Geroge, who also won the costume segment, and whose designer, Calvin S also won in that category. Second runner-up was given to Jenecia Lewis who won the interview segment; rightly so with her confident response to the question on the topic of charging calypsonians a registration fee. Noting that the art form is a dying one, she admonished patrons and organisers to do what is necessary to preserve the art, and they should remove the fees.

In the pre-judged segment, Alicia Roberts was awarded the Kai Davis Miss Congeniality award and was adjudged the most improved of the contestants. Miss photogenic went to Talisa Gomes.

In the talent segment, the obvious crowd favourite — Larissa James, danced her way to the top of that segment. Although the pre-recorded intro was somewhat overdone  (and had obvious acting issues), her dance was filled with passion, though it lacked some grace in technique. Battling against sexual violence as her theme, the contestant also masterfully battled against a malfunctioning wardrobe, narrowly managing to escape a “Janet Jackson” moment. 

The show included a performance from soca diva Claudette Peters, who was joined onstage with Ricardo Drue. Also saving the evening were dance group Elite Dancers who maintained their standards of engaging choreography, grace, and dynamic energy.

Apart from the obvious beauty pageantry, the highlight of the evening came from self-dubbed “seventh” contestant and host Brucella Marsh, who kept the evening entertaining with her charisma.

This year undoubtedly has proven to be the best serenade in the history of Queen of Carnival, with Ricardo Drue crooning the first two contestants, followed by Drastic, and ending with Tian Winter. Cutting the music and creating an phenomenal harmony, all three heartthrobs sang Bruno Mars’ Just the Way You Are a capella. To say the ARG melted would be an understatement; and echoing the sentiments of many fans, they should think about recording either that song, or an original together. This performance was absolutely the climax of the evening... That and of course Brucella’s personally requested serenade from all three.

Enjoy ZIA's fabulous photography gallery of the evening by clicking the link below.