So….after taking my year and a half break from all things soca, I came back to conquer Jamaica Carnival.
The Carnival as usual was held in April and boasted a bunch of fetes and events leading up to the road. This year the Jamaica Carnival was held on April 28, 2019. My dates were the Wednesday prior to the Wednesday after. Usually, people don’t stay that long, but I wanted to experience more of the island outside of the carnival festivities.
This trip wasn’t my usual solo trip. I was joined by four first time masqueraders. We stayed at an amazing AirBnb in Kingston. The name is Kathy’s Cottage and was an amazing stay. We were in a prime area, close to most event venues and other nightlife if needed. We weren’t around much for a lot of interaction with the hosts but Kevin and Novelette were very kind and provided breakfast for us every morning.
Here is the link here:
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/23604153
We planned our fete itinerary beforehand, which is what I recommend doing going into any carnival. Many events sell out or require committee approval nowadays, so it’s best to get that out of the way before you arrive somewhere with your hands swinging. Our Thursday and Saturday plans changed the day of, but our replacements were great, same way.
Wednesday: I Love Soca
Thursday: Tailgate JA
Friday: Hookie
Saturday : Ambush , Fling
Sunday : The Road with Xaymaca
Monday: Xaymaca Beach Lime
All events I attended except Ambush went off without a hitch and I had an amazing time. Now, Ambush, which is usually my favorite jouvert fete in Trinidad had some major hiccups. First things first, when I went to pick up my package for Ambush they issued us our goodie bags, T-shirt and wristbands without a cup. Now usually, cups are given within your the goodie bag at distribution. This time , we were told they would be given out at the venue. Uh, okay?
So, that was a lie. There were no cups at the venue and at an event like Ambush with paint and powder flying everyone wants a cup with a lid and straw they can drink from. And, if you don’t have a covered cup you want something you can grip with some traction. We were left with the plastic party cups they sell at at the grocery. It was so bad, people were using water bottles or bottles they cut in half. If they would have been honest and said they ran out or did not have enough inventory, I could have brought my own damn cup and not be scavenging around like a vagrant.
THE NEXT issue , was the blown fuse or broken generator which caused a lack of music thereabout. If you’ve never been to an Ambush event, the concept is drinks trucks followed by music truck followed by another drinks truck …etc. So picture, one music truck and hundreds of people trying to hear and enjoy the music at the same time. That one music truck caused major congestion and apparently was happening for two hours before I arrived. I dealt with the issue for about an hour and a half or so before the next truck came with music or another generator. Who knows. I made the best of it and enjoyed the event as I always do but I will say Jamaica’s team has to do better. This has never happened in Trini or if it did, they had a backup generator.
On a good note, my first time attending Hookie Jamaica was a smooth success. Even though it was a smaller scale event and not as popular as others on Carnival Friday, I can see myself going back again. It was all inclusive for $55.00 and boasted a good roster of DJ’s. Although, they ran out of Johnny near the end of the party, I believe most parties do when you have the whole of Caribbean islands attending. The DJ’s were on point, drinks were flowing, us party goers all had good vibes and the food looked good, even though I didn’t get the opportunity to eat. 
It was also my first time attending NinjaFete’s Fling and although I’ve attended their New York parties before, I would say this installment was the best time one. New York DJ’s are my favorite and because this is a New Yorker party, the vibes were on a thousand. I don’t have much to say but, BYOB and vibes, vibes,vibes.
Now, Xayamca. While I loved the costume and the road experience, my costume pick up experience was far from pleasant. Now, costume pick up and distribution is never going to be quick and seamless but their set up and separation of costume, wristband, goodie bag AND sign off was highly annoying. This almost seemed to hinder the process of getting people in and out. Everything was moving slow and us masqueraders were standing in ridiculous maze type lines for way too long. With minimal AC. Either they need more attendants to help their sections or a different set up next time around.
With my particular section, we had a massive backpack that apparently was not at the distribution camp for pickup. So on the second to last day of costume pickup, I was told to go home and come back because the backpacks were not there. Major inconvenience. If one had any fete plans, they would have to be altered just to fit in this second costume pickup which was not supposed to be happening.
Now, when I did pick up my wings they were trying to pass me off some which were poorly constructed. I had to have the wings sent back to be fixed or get a new backpack, I would never know. To add, comparing them to the original wings which were advertised in their photo-shoot, the wings were not as voluminous and a different color scheme.
The day of mas, feathers and fringe were falling off the damn backpack. I had to glue gun things on and back together. WHY? After paying close to $1000 US , I should not be playing costume designer the morning of mas.
This was my finished result, picture this half way glued on and falling off.
I DIGRESS, I DIGRESS….
To fast forward, the road was an amazing time. The drinks were flowing, music was great and costumes were beautiful. I ended up ditching the backpack half way through the road after someone stepped on my feathers and they came off. (Something else that should not happen so damn easily)
Xaymaca beach lime was my last fete in my lineup and was so much of an unexpected good time. The performances were great and music phenomenal. I would advice for you to reach on the earlier side so you can secure a nice likkle spot in the sand, but if not you can always squeeze your way into a good spot.
That’s all for now.
— Choonks ❤