Wednesday February 11th: The well-spring of our being
February 11, 2026
Calypsoes today need more ‘Trinidad Talk’
February 11, 2026
By Klysha Best
DMC Kids Mas Band is not just another children’s band—it’s a band on a mission to elevate the children’s Carnival landscape and the culture.
Mark Ayen
They are already a winner for 2026, having captured the Large Band of the Year title at last weekend’s Red Cross Kiddies Carnival, with their presentation, ‘Pan Now, Pan Then, Pan Tomorrow’.
According to its 32-year-old founder, Mark Ayen, DMC Kids, which hails out of St James, was created with the calculated move to set an international standard for what junior Carnival can be.
“DMC Kids is not the traditional children’s band. We go above and beyond. So, you will see the detail in our costuming, in our presentations, you will see us doing the full length of photo shoots, ensuring that the quality is there from the beginning,” said Ayen.
“Our clients, our masqueraders, they see that, they like it. And as such, that’s how we continue to produce in that manner. We look at our social media pages, our multimedia team works every single day, comprising young persons on TikTok, Instagram, and really pushing that brand of DMC out there.”
Launched in 2023 as part of his D Mas Man Company Limited, DMC Kids entered the scene ambitiously with 220 young masqueraders and has since grown to 350.
Ayen, a former Junior King of Carnival himself, and current president of the Trinidad and Tobago Carnival Bands Association (TTCBA), leads a committee he describes as “primarily made up of young professionals,” many in their early twenties, who share a vision to modernise the tradition.
The band, led by Sade Warner Perez, markets itself as the “only premium Carnival experience for kids,” a claim Ayen backs with a comprehensive package.
He said beyond the costume, their “experience” includes two large music trucks, a refreshment truck, and a signature all-inclusive after-party complete with bouncy castles, snow cones, and live artists.
“Once you are a member of DMC, you are also invited to come to any of the programmes,” Ayen explained, detailing year-round engagement through wire-bending workshops and school visits where his team volunteers to teach costume-making. “It’s really an experience that you pay for.”
Regarding their 2026 theme, Pan Now, Pan Then, Pan Tomorrow, Ayen said it is a tribute to the national instrument, the story of pan and blends culture and education.
“What we need to do in culture right now is speak as Trinidad and Tobago. And how do we do that? We do that best by what represents us and the pan is something synonymous with Carnival and culture as our national instrument,” noted Ayen.
An interesting feature of the presentation, was also the creation of a colouring book for the children, tying in the theme.
Ayen said, “They will learn about what these sections are, where it was derived from and learn who is Len ‘Boogsie’ Sharpe, Bertie Marshall etc.”
“Even in designing the band, my designers learned a lot, and I also learned a lot about the steelpan,” Ayen admitted.
With the 2026 band already a hit, Ayen is looking ahead. He revealed that DMC Kids’ 2027 presentation, themed around the birds of Trinidad and Tobago, will launch on Ash Wednesday.
His goal is also to double participation to 700 children. But the ultimate ambition reaches far beyond local mas camps.
“It’s our goal to take our children’s Carnival and represent Trinidad and Tobago on a larger scale,” Ayen declared, “possibly even with a Netflix documentary.”
“I think once we could blend culture and education, I think it’s a good win for our younger generation,” stated Ayen.
By blending youthful digital savvy, through a dedicated social media team, with a deep commitment to cultural education and a premium customer experience, Mark Ayen and DMC Kids Mas are crafting a new blueprint for the future of Carnival, one young masquerader at a time.
