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Kinetic Mas' co-bandleader Gerard Weekes takes the audience through its Carnival 2025 designs during the band's launch on August 10, 2024, at its Alberto Street, Woodbrook mas camp.
- Photo courtesy James SolomonThe mas fraternity is mourning the death of legendary masman and former King of Carnival, Gerard “Gerry” Weekes, who passed away on August 16.
Weekes, co-bandleader of Kinetic Mas and best known for his winning king portrayal Ai To Yujo No Yorokobi (The Joy of Love & Friendship) in Brian Mac Farlane’s band in 2013. He tied with Ted Eustace that year.
His longtime friend and fellow Kinetic co-bandleader, Peter Samuel, was too overcome with grief to speak at length about the loss. “We knew each other way, way back, talking about going back to the days of (Peter) Minshall mas,” Samuel said. He revealed that he had spoken with Weekes on Saturday morning, never imagining the heartbreak that would follow later that night.
Tributes have since been pouring in on social media from across the Carnival industry. Among them, the TT Carnival Bands Association (TTCBA), which Weekes helped to establish, hailed him as one of the pillars who gave Carnival its global reputation as “the greatest show on earth.”
TTCBA president and National Carnival Commission (NCC) commissioner Mark Ayen described Weekes as, “a true icon of our cultural landscape and a stalwart of the mas fraternity.”
Ayen recalled the association’s formation in October 2012, when masmen, -women and bandleaders joined forces to demand stronger representation for their industry. “Out of this vision for change, Gerry Weekes emerged as a key leader and was elected as the association’s first president, serving with distinction from its formation until the elections of 2015. He continued to lend his wisdom and dedication as a member of the board until January 2020.”
He said Weekes played a central role in reshaping the image of Carnival, ensuring that the voices of its practitioners were heard. “Alongside the founding members — Dune Ali, Patrick Roberts, Earl Patterson (deceased), Arden Knox (deceased), and Andrew Alleng— he helped build an organisation that valued transparency, accountability, and unity within the Mas community.
“Beyond his contributions as an organiser and leader, Gerry Weekes was celebrated as a former king of carnival. His portrayals were more than spectacular displays of artistry; they were living expressions of our heritage, creativity, and resilience. His name is etched in the history of the greatest show on Earth, inspiring generations of masqueraders, designers, and carnival enthusiasts to embrace imagination without limits.
“The TTCBA is proud to have been shaped by Gerry Weekes’ leadership and vision. His service, both on stage and in the boardroom, has left an indelible mark on our carnival and on the association he helped to establish. On behalf of the TTCBA, we extend heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and the wider Carnival fraternity. May his legacy continue to soar as high as the magnificent costumes he once carried across the stage.”
At the launch of Kinetic Mas’ Carnival 2025 presentation, Weekes shared his vision for reviving the roots of traditional mas. “To depict real mas, to depict the elements of tapestry, culture and all that goes with it,” he told Newsday on August 10, 2024.
Kinetic Mas was born from the merging of Ann Marie Placide’s Jus Wee and Friends, Weekes’ Mas Passion, and Samuel, who was king of Minshall’s band eight times.
“By us merging together, we are really making that statement that we want to return to that level of carnival which is what we call spectator carnival, which draws people to the table, draws people out to see what we present,” Weekes explained.
He acknowledged the growing trend of “participation carnival”—with its emphasis on partying, beads and bikinis—but insisted Kinetic Mas was determined to tell a story through its portrayals.
Funeral arrangements are still to be announced. The Kinetic Mas camp will remain closed until August 22.
English (US) ·