Carnival revellers exhale

Bejewelled carnival bikinis, men donning bicycle shorts, grand and colourful feathered backpacks, and pretty faces all in a row – it was official that carnival road march day was here in Jamaica.

It was chaos when the Xodus-Bacchanal merged mas Sweet Treats first announced the cancellation of one of its sections – the Jolly Lolly – less than 24 hours before the full day of fêting would begin, but the only solution was to find another option. There, the challenge of finding a costume that would fit the needs, wants, and most importan tht,e bodies of those registered to the section began. From the looks of the road, the band managed to turn things around.

First-time masquerader Asia Lee was able to procure a full back-line Sweet Tart costume, she told The Gleaner. “Everything worked out in my favour, and I’m satisfied. I had received all emails prior and anticipated some changes, (so) when the representative told me my costume never arrived, I only wanted to know there was another on the table,” she said.

Lee added, “The Sweet Tart costume is beautiful and fit me surprisingly well. It’s my first time ever participating in any carnival, having moved away to Canada at a young age, but I’m looking forward to doing road again in my birthplace.”

Guadeloupe native Valerie Birach said that although she was disappointed because she preferred a costume with more coverage, the process prior to carnival day was seamless – unlike the Sweet Tart set she was provided with.

“It doesn’t spoil my overall experience because I expect that for a carnival with so many persons, there will be some challenges. My breasts were showing more than I wanted them to, and I ended up pairing it with my original Jolly Lolly backpack. Nonetheless, I will be returning and jumping with these bands as they lived up to their theme and treated me sweet,” Birach quipped.

Costumes aside, among the major attractions of Sweet Treats were the organised premium and cocktail bars, the occasional delivery of shrimp kebabs and quesadillas by servers in the crowd, the mix and mingling of the sections as those dressed to fête in either Xodus or Bacchanal-sponsored designs played mas with each other up until lunchtime when some masqueraders had to separate to collect their meals at different areas. Disc jockeys Rocksteady, Nicco, Mad Out, Crisis, and ZJ Chrome also served up eclectic music mixes of music with 60 per cent of soca, 30 per cent dancehall, and 10 per cent of all other genres.

“It was chaotically fun,” shared Annastasia Scott, a returning reveller from Louisiana, who, along with her group of friends, felt that both bands needed to play more on their strengths for next year’s staging. “We consider Bacchanal as the boss when it comes on to costume assembly and distribution because they’ve been doing this for umpteen years, and it’s always hats off to Xodus for the vibes and entertainment,” she said. “But carnival is known for hiccups, but Jamaicans need to constantly prove their professionalism and not let anything happen to scare the people who support the carnival annually. Get it together bands, and combine your creative skills.”

Xodus Director Scott Dunn has taken all suggestions into consideration and he believes that despite any challenges, “everything happened pretty seamlessly”.

“We had a turnout of over 4,000 persons on the road ... having a good time in a safe environment ... through all the music and entertainment, we are building the economy of Kingston and Jamaica. Together with Bacchanal, our family, we aim to continue on the same trajectory, and we’ll work for years to come,” Dunn told The Gleaner.

Nicholas Franklin, director of Bacchanal Jamaica, stated:“It has been an interesting and exhilarating merger for 2023 Carnival in Jamaica. I’ll honestly say that any shortcomings were out of the bands’ hands. We continue to apologise for the inconvenience and are grateful to our supporters. Looking forward to next year.”

stephanie.lyew@gleanerjm.com