Mas Mani Carnival readies dual-season reveal with costume launch at Tribe this weekend

Mas Mani Carnival, Guyana’s fastest growing Carnival band is set to launch our newest  costume collections for the 2026 season this weekend and it’s an event you don’t want  to miss!  

For a band that did not exist two years ago, this launch represents a rare pause in  momentum, a chance to show revelers- old and new what’s in store for their 2026 road  experience and reflect on how quickly Mas Mani has moved from a first-time appearance  on the road to a brand now preparing for multiple carnivals across borders. 

The event, which will be held at the Tribe Gastronomic Lounge on Sunday, January 17,  2026, will showcase costumes for the upcoming Mashramani Parade in February and the  highly anticipated Guyana Carnival in May. 

For our founder Enzo Matthews, it represents a moment of consolidation — a chance to  present Mas Mani Carnival as a matured offering within Guyana’s carnival ecosystem,  informed by experiences in Miami and now Trinidad, but still rooted in a distinctly  Guyanese identity. 

“This weekend is about showing people what Mas Mani Carnival stands for,” Matthews  said. “It’s not just costumes. It’s the energy, the organisation, the overall experience we  want masqueraders to have from the minute they join the band.” 

Mas Mani Carnival was officially launched on September 30, 2024, during the Cricket  Carnival period in Guyana. Entering the road as a first-time band, expectations were  cautious, but the turnout quickly shifted perceptions. For a debut appearance, our  execution, energy, and reception stood out, signalling that it was not a one-off experiment  but the beginning of something more intentional. 

Building on that momentum, we returned for Mashramani in 2025, reinforcing our local  presence and strengthening its operational framework. Rather than plateau, we expanded  our ambitons outward, taking Mas Mani beyond Guyana’s borders for the first time. 

In October 2025, we participated in Miami Carnival through a collaboration with the XIA  Carnival International. Competing in one of the region’s most saturated carnival markets,  Mas Mani along with Xia secured second place for Best Band at Miami Carnival 2025 — a milestone that placed a Guyanese-founded band on an international platform. 

Miami was a turning point, which showcased that the work we’re doing locally can stand  up on a much bigger stage.

That experience also reshaped how the band approached design, logistics, and  presentation, lessons that have fed directly into this year’s Guyana Carnival preparations.  Those lessons will be tested again in February, when we head to Trinidad for Trinidad  Carnival, widely regarded as the heartbeat of carnival culture in the Caribbean. 

For us, taking the band to Trinidad is both a challenge and a learning opportunity. 

Following our Trinidad appearance, Mas Mani Carnival is expected to return to the streets  later in February for Mashramani before turning full attention back to Guyana Carnival in  May. The upcoming launch at Tribe therefore acts as a bridge between our past growth  and future expectations, a moment where the band formally presents what it has been  building behind the scenes. 

Attendees can expect a vibe that’s modern, social, and elevated without being  inaccessible. Why? We’re bringing a great atmosphere, amazing DJs and the event will  also be free of charge!  

Come join us this Sunday at 5pm and let’s get the 2026 season started!