Here's what it takes to win a Caribbean carnival costume competition

A bellowing voice from the speakers reverberates through the exhibition grounds, cutting the tension: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is 'Goddess of Daybreak' portrayed by Caneisha Edwards." She's been here before, but the nerves still grip her body as she waits for music to replace the silence. But when her cue comes, she transforms, suddenly embodying the deity that she's meant to represent. 

It's easy to assume that with so many years of experience, competing in the Toronto Caribbean Carnival's annual King & Queen Showcase would be a chip in the park for Caneisha Edwards. But the stakes were different this year, the two-time title holder tells CBC Arts while looking back on that moment. "I was really scared and nervous," she admits. "This year, there were new height rules. Before, we didn't really have a rule. You could go any width, any height. This year, they made changes so you could only be 20 feet high, any width. They also changed the venue. Normally, we're at Lamport Stadium, and then this year, we were actually on the CNE grounds. That is a different ballpark."

WATCH: Video by Omono Udo

Big mas — as this part of the carnival celebration is called — unlike the pretty mas costumes worn during the parade, are defined by the element of performance and their enormous size. The competition has four categories: Adult Female Individual, Adult Male Individual, Adult King (who is crowned "King of the Bands") and Adult Queen (who is crowned "Queen of the Bands) and on the night of the showcase, competitors are judged on a bevy of criteria. But what does it take to secure the title? A lot of dedication, discipline and passion, all of which comes easy to Edwards.

She was first introduced to big mas by a family friend named Rickson — who still makes her headwear when she competes — and was encouraged to continue doing it by her family who hail from Trinidad & Tobago. She recalls an early memory of her first competitions: "There's pictures of me in my costume and it poured that year. All the pictures are me just standing in this costume that I don't want to get out of, all the feathers are dripping and I'm just super happy to be there."

2019 was a year of firsts for Edwards. She entered the King & Queen Showcase and when she competed on behalf of Tribal Carnival in the Adult Female Individual competition, her portrayal "Mirage - The Illusion," consequently afforded her her first win in the category. "When I got to perform, everything felt right," she reminisces. "Everything went as planned. I was like, this was meant for me. It was meant to happen." She took home the title again in 2023 with her portrayal of "The Frog Princess," but when it came to taking this year's stage, there were a different set of challenges.

In addition to the venue change and new guidelines on costume structure, she was worried about topping her winning costume from the year prior. She felt pressured to balance the need of the costume being in conversation with the theme while making something that was distinct. With the support of her team and band, they made it happen. Big mas doesn't happen in a silo. It is the collective product of months of labour, time, energy and a deep love for mas making. "It's a long process," says Edwards. "People don't really get to see behind the scenes. They don't see the fact that we have to come up with the concept, come up with what material we're going to use, [and the] design pattern, and it's weekends. If you want to do big mas, you're spending Monday to Friday after work in the mas camp. You're spending Saturday and Sunday in the mas camp. You have to want to do it."

Tribal Carnival was founded in 2007 by Dexter and Gail Seusahai, who have since passed on the torch to their daughter and current band CEO, Celena Seusahai. With his years of experience, Dexter oversees big mas production and worked alongside Edwards to shape the costume's design language. "This year was really hard. We went in a different direction than we originally thought," says Edwards. "[The costume] was supposed to be a kaleidoscope, but then Uncle Dexter took the idea and was like, 'What if we went more in a splatter patterning?' That's where this pattern comes from: doing it in a gradient and trying to figure out, if I dropped something in a splash of paint, how would that burst out?"

After months of preparation when Caneisha takes the stage, she becomes a radiant beam of energy. With the sound of soca energizing her every move, the pinks, oranges and yellows of her costumes sway and dazzle as she gracefully dances in the looming costume. 

"Results are in for the 2024 King & Queen of the Bands" the speakers boom. "In first place the Female Individual goes to 'Goddess of Daybreak' Caneisha Edwards." This is her third title in a row. The dawn of a new morning is here and Caneisha is shining.

Naturally, the next title for Edwards to vie for is the Queen of the Bands. Luckily, the reigning monarch is none other than Tribal band leader Celena. From one queen to an aspiring other, she sees the potential for greatness. "I know Caneisha worked tremendously hard on her big mas this year. I saw her there almost every day, and it was not an easy costume," says the three-time Queen of the Bands winner and current titleholder. "From start to finish, she had a hand in everything. We have an on-site welder and he had her put on the masks, gloves and hold it for him so he could weld. I was just like, 'Wow. I haven't even done that.' I could definitely see her passion and I see her drive."

"I'm waiting for my time, but it's coming," says Edwards. Hopefully big mas lovers won't have to wait too long to see her crowned Queen of the Bands.