Soca artiste Voice excited about return of carnival
Published:Sunday | July 10, 2022 | 12:06 AMKerese Oakley-Williams - Gleaner Intern
Trinidadian soca artiste Voice says he feels excited about the return of the carnival season after almost two years of inactivity due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“A lot of people need carnival,” the three-time soca monarch stated, describing the atmosphere as one filled with good vibes, excitement and relief.
He says he believes that the resumption of carnival is a step forward in the right direction.
As for his home country, Trinidad and Tobago, the artiste shared that Trinidadians have already begun their carnival season. “There is action and energy at every party,” Voice told The Gleaner after his performance at Thursday’s Heineken Tailgate, a staple event by carnival band Xodus. He shared that the most recent party he attended had an audience of approximately 10,000 revellers. “Right now, I feel like people are celebrating and really enjoying [the] 2021 and 2022 carnival [season],” he said, adding that soca and carnival lovers are already gearing up for 2023.
Sunday’s road march will be Voice’s fifth Carnival in Jamaica. The artiste is no stranger to the island; this was his second time visiting the country for the year.
“Jamaica, it is always a pleasure being here; it is always good vibes, good energy, and the atmosphere is always great,” he told The Gleaner. He said the event was an amazing experience for him. “A lot of Jamaicans know my songs. They like the lyrics and the way I do my music,” Voice said.
Carnival in Jamaica was last held in 2019. It was first postponed in 2020 after Jamaica recorded its first case of COVID-19. It was then moved to October, only to be rescheduled to April 2021. In March 2021, as Jamaica experienced the third wave of the virus, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett announced that organisers of Carnival in Jamaica would forgo the annual road march and related activities for April 2021 due to challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
After two years of tabanca, the announcement was made in March that Carnival in Jamaica would take place in July.
Two carnival bands will hit the streets today – Bacchanal and Xodus – as Carnival in Jamaica makes its long-awaited return. Carnival band Xaymaca had decided not to participate in the July staging, saying it would organise its band for a subsequent staging in Jamaica. The parade for a third band – Downtown Carnival– which had initially planned to hit the road on July 10, has been postponed until 2023.
ROAD CLOSURES
The National Works Agency will intermittently close the following roadways to facilitate the Bacchanal and Xodus road parades on Sunday, July 10, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
– Hope Road
– Lady Musgrave Road
– Trafalgar Road
– Waterloo Road
– Old Hope Road
– Knutsford Boulevard
ROUTES
Xodus Road Parade
11 a.m. - 1:35 p.m.
Xodus will start at Devon House, turn left onto Waterloo Road, then left onto Hope Road, right onto Lady Musgrave Road and right onto Trafalgar Road, ending at Devon House.
2:50 p.m. - 6 p.m.
After lunch, the parade will start at Devon House, turn left onto Waterloo Road, continue onto Trafalgar Road, right onto Lady Musgrave Road, continue onto Old Hope Road, right onto Oxford Road, right onto Knutsford Boulevard, then left onto Trafalgar Road, ending at Devon House.
Bacchanal Road Parade
11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Bacchanal will start at Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre, turn left onto Hope Road, right onto Lady Musgrave Road, right onto Trafalgar Road and right onto Hope Road, ending at the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre. After lunch, they will go in the opposite direction, down Hope Road to Trafalgar Road into the heart of New Kingston and back to the Ranny Williams Entertainment Centre.