Trinidad and Tobago’s iconic steelpan tradition took center stage over the weekend as the country marked World Steelpan Day with the annual Ancestral Pan Walk, a celebratory procession that drew hundreds of cross-generational steelpan enthusiasts despite intermittent rainfall. At the heart of the festivities, however, was a pressing public call from Pan Trinbago President Beverley Ramsey-Moore for urgent government action to upgrade the country’s aging network of panyards — the community hubs where steelpan bands practice, perform, and gather.
In an exclusive phone interview with local outlet the Express following the walk, Ramsey-Moore reiterated a call she first made over a year prior, urging the national government to temporarily pause new community centre construction in order to redirect funding to panyard upgrades. She emphasized that panyards have become far more central to youth engagement than underused community centres, noting that young musicians spend countless hours at these hubs honing their craft. “The only modern, well-maintained panyards belong to a handful of commercially sponsored bands,” Ramsey-Moore explained. “Most unsponsored groups struggle with basic, urgent repairs — everything from outdated plumbing to dilapidated bathroom facilities that need complete overhauls.”
This year’s World Steelpan Day centered explicitly on cultivating youth participation in the steelpan tradition, with the Ancestral Pan Walk kicking off at the Massy Trinidad All Stars Steel Orchestra panyard in Port-of-Spain’s Duke Street before concluding at the bp Renegades Steel Orchestra pan theatre on Charlotte Street. Youth steel orchestras were featured as the lead attractions at both stops, framing the day as a handoff of the national cultural legacy to the next generation. Ramsey-Moore praised the enthusiastic turnout for the walk, but stressed that the steelpan community still lacks consistent, robust support from both government and corporate stakeholders.
Opening up about ongoing challenges securing funding, Ramsey-Moore expressed disappointment with the recent pullback from Trinidad and Tobago’s corporate sector. “For four years, Pan Trinbago has overhauled its governance, delivering full clean audits, complete transparency, and clear accountability to bring back corporate partners,” she noted. “While corporations returned to partnership over the last two years, their continued engagement always hinges on the signal the national government sends about the sector’s priority.” She also pushed back firmly against narrow framing of the steelpan as an exclusively Black cultural tradition, emphasizing that the national instrument was created to be unifying. “Every creed and race finds an equal place in the steelpan,” she said. “It is not ‘a Black people thing’ — it is a powerful tool for positive national social transformation for all Trinbagonians.”
One long-sought win for the community appears to be on the horizon, however: Ramsey-Moore voiced disappointment that the steelpan has not yet been added to the nation’s currency, but pointed to a recent statement from the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago confirming that the instrument will feature on the new $100 bill, set to be unveiled this August. She said she is hopeful the central bank will follow through on this commitment.
Minister of Culture Michelle Benjamin echoed Ramsey-Moore’s call for panyard upgrades during her address at the bp Renegades Pan Theatre, affirming the government’s recognition of the critical role panyards play in nurturing cultural talent. “It is undeniable: all of this incredible national talent comes straight from our panyards,” Benjamin said in response to Ramsey-Moore’s appeal. “She is entirely right that we need to support the renovation and refurbishment of these spaces, because that is where our young people are every single day.”
Even steady rainfall did little to dampen the festive spirit of the hundreds of attendees who turned out for the procession. As the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment Steel Orchestra played a rousing medley of classic and contemporary steelpan tracks, enthusiasts of all ages marched from the starting point at All Stars to the Renegades panyard, celebrating the legacy and future of the country’s most beloved cultural institution.