As Told by Ali

Carnival definitely came home this year. ‘Come Home‘ by Nailah Blackman and Skinny Fabulous was definitely that feel good soca song of the year that we needed. Don’t matter the event I was sining this song out loud and feeling all the feels. The joy of hearing it on the road blasting from a music truck and realizing you’re finally back on the road in a costume was a joyous one. Admittedly, this post is delayed, but nonetheless I wanted to share my road experience for Antigua’s carnival 2023. It’s also my goal to travel within the region and experience the festival in different countries, from Jab Jab and Spice Mas, to Kadooment and Crop Over, to Vincy Mas and Sugar Mas, and even the mecca, in Trinidad. For my first post I took you through my reviews of the various fetes I attended plus my experience with Barefoot Carnival for T-Shirt mas. This post is all about Carnival Monday and Tuesday, from J’ouvert to Last Lap. Let’s get into it!

J’ouvert

Monday 7th August
3:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Band: Caution (Project Sync)
Price: XCD $250

Only one other thing can get me out of bed this early in the morning, thankfully we rarely have early morning flights anymore. This year, I decided to play with Project Sync’s Caution band; in absence of last year, I’ve been playing with them pretty consistently and had no major complaints. The package collection was quick and efficient; it included a drawstring bag, Caution branded bandana, powder pack, bottle, meal chits, arm band and your T-Shirt. I really loved the colour of the shirt this year and the branding which highlighted a national hero, Prince Klass.

The meeting time was 1 a.m. which we figured was super early, but we got to the meeting point around 2 a.m. and went in line for the pre-snack which was Goat Water or Corn Soup. I got the goat water which was tasty and a lucozade for some energy. Shortly after it was time to move off to join the official parade route. The vibes took a while to build going down Friars Hill Road and we were mostly trying to get drinks from the bar.

By the time we hit YMCA, a shower of rain came down but it also worked people up in a sense because, to me, that’s when the vibes started. We were jamming and having a good time from that point up until Thames Street/High Street. At this time the sun was already up plus it was getting a bit crowded with persons who weren’t in the band (this was ultimately a problem since Market street), and I was also tired. The band was moving a bit slow so we more or less began walking back at this point, fully committing to it when we got pass Premiere Beverages. The walk back was DREADFUL. It was a long walk and doing it without any music plus in the heat did not make it any better. When we finally got back to the meeting point we got in line for the next meal. This time was stew sausage, veg and bread. There was a tea station and fresh coconut water available as well. We left here around 8:20 a.m. as we had to wash off and I needed to prep for Monday mas.

Overall I gave my J’ouvert experience a 8/10. My main issue was definitely the music, in terms of song choices being repeated and the emcee continuously interrupting the music to say something.

Costume Pick Up

A prelude to carnival and an experience in of itself. Insane carnival would have posted a schedule indicating the dates and times to collect your package. Of course everything didn’t go as planned as persons came on days that weren’t assigned to their section and it really caused some confusion. My pickup day also happened to be the last day and the Friday before carnival!

I liked the new location and setup for their distribution but for some reason there was a massive delay in getting people in and out. I really thought it would have been a simple process but it took me more than 3 hours to collect my costume. Upon collection an IC rep goes through your package with you and ensures all the pieces are accounted for. This was my first year with a backpack that could be disassembled to handle better and we love the innovation! We also got duffel bags instead of the usual box which will come in clutch for other uses.

Check out my costume unboxing on YouTube or TikTok to see what came in my package.

Monday Mas

Monday 7th August
2:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.*
Band: Insane Carnival
Theme: Riddims

I managed to get a one-hour nap before heading to my makeup appointment, and trust me when I say I was close to staying in bed and forgoing everything. Ya girl was TIRED! Prior to the Carnival weekend, my makeup artist, Flawless Beaute Factory, would have contacted me about potential looks for both days. Therefore we already knew what we were getting into. For Monday I wanted a coloured liner look and I was very happy with how it came out. The colours matched perfectly with my Monday wear. The service was also spectacular where I got light eats and coconut water to rehydrate. This year I decided to go with the Monday wear option given by the band; they had several “upgrade” options and I selected the monokini. From the release I liked the print of the fabric as well the high-cut and deep-V design.

We met up with the band around 3 p.m. and we definitely thought we were going to be late, but of course it appeared we were on Caribbean time. The one blessing this caused is we were able to secure lunch and get some photos taken by the band’s photographers. During registration you would have selected your meal option (chicken, fish, pork) and given your meal chits during costume collection. I liked how the meet-up spot was set up and they had sections based on your chits. I’m definitely picky when it comes to certain foods and how it’s prepared, so I didn’t enjoy the meal but I ate since I needed the sustenance. The options were baked chicken, rice, green salad; not a wide selection but I guess it also isn’t a hotel. After eating we had to wait for quite a bit before they gathered us behind the truck and similarly to J’ouvert the energy was low when just getting started.

Monday is normally my favourite day, but for some reason this year wasn’t quite as enjoyable. This may have been a personal reason though and the individuals I normally play with were either in a different band or not on the road this year. I also would have left just as they were getting into doing their second lap around the route.

Tuesday Mas

Tuesday 8th August
12:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Band: Insane Carnival
Section: Sugar Bowl

Originally my makeup appointment was for 12 p.m. but I feared I’d miss out too much of the parade so I got it swapped to 7 a.m. Babyyy, I don’t know how I made it but I got it done and also had time to film a GRWM. Before heading on the road I did a mini shoot to capture the beauty of the costume and the memories of it all.

Photoshoot

This year, BeeYou Media collaborated with Flawless Beaute Factory to provide photo services to her patrons before going on the road. Given it was my first year back and something I’ve always wanted to do, I was happy for the opportunity. There were three packages available based on length of time and quantity of images you wanted. I went with the Bumblebee option which offered me 4 retouched images then I purchased extras for $20.

Honestly the service was definitely worth it! Melisa was patient and did a great job of directing me on how to pose. We were in and out in no time but the heat was the only con but what can we do about that? #ClimateChange

We got to the meet-up spot around 1 p.m. and basically did the same thing as before, grabbed some food, took pictures and waited until it was time to move off. I was definitely disappointed in the lunch again as we got served the same food with the addition of one side.

Tuesday’s route is normally longer than Monday’s and I wasn’t sure if I was prepared for it. One thing I made sure of though was to get my pictures taken by the many photographers in the band. The weather also switched up this day and we did get a bit soaked throughout the route, I tried not to let this upset me and enjoy my time on road. Unlike j’ouvert having it rain while on the road in a full face of makeup and pretty feathers wasn’t the best but it did cool us down.

Best parts of Tuesday:

• Being in costume – from the virtual launch to the mas camp opening and even during collection, it lived up to its hype. Sugar Bowl was one of the largest sections on the road.
• Being in our sections for majority of the parade. Although I didn’t get to see much of the other sections, I’d say this year the band was pretty organized by getting us in sections early and the patrons for remaining in their sections.
• We had no problems getting drinks from the bar and I don’t recall them ever running out of what we were drinking. The only difficulty occurred with accessing the drink trucks on the narrow roads. Given onlookers are on the sides on the streets it made it very difficult to move through the crowds.
• Crossing the stage – a chaotic but fun experience
• The bread and cheese – Having a live bread shop at an event just makes sense and I was happy for this at the end of the evening. They were also handing out snacks (chips) on the road.
• Insane winning band of the year!

Last Lap

Last Lap is exactly what it sounds like, one last opportunity to be on the road and go around the route again. I’ve never done last lap, nor have I felt the need to. By the end of the night I’m usually ready to take off all my costume pieces, get a bath and sleep. For security reasons also, I normally avoid it. Even at the end of Tuesday mas, by the time it gets dark “stormers” try to join the band and that’s definitely not an enjoyable experience.

However, this year Insane seemed to do things differently whereby they setup a small stage and sound system within the meet-up area which is fenced and had their own after party. This was definitely a good concept, because I remember in 2019 them simply jamming on one of the roads but it was chaotic because we often had to move aside to let other bands pass through, so i’m happy for the change and improvement. I stayed for a little bit while I ate but ultimately I was home by 8:40 p.m.

Music

I debated bringing this up, and I couldn’t help it. It’s not just with the carnival parades but even some of the fetes, the music felt the same. We have so many soca songs over the years, not just local but also regional. Yet still, we were bombarded with the popular songs for 2023. Don’t get me wrong, imma sing Come Home every time it comes on but I still wanted to hear other artistes/songs as well. This seems like a yearly complaint among patrons and the DJs seem to disagree so we just have to go along with it.

Road March

For the first time there was a 3-way tie with the road march winner.

• Ricardo Drue – Last Man Standing
• Claudette Peters – Nat You
• Empress, Psycho, Soca Villain – Let it Rain

Overall, this carnival was enjoyable and I hope all the “issues” which were brought up during the season gets rectified in time for next year. There’s potential for our carnival product but the marketing could use some work with earlier releases of information and enticing promotional materials. We also need mas bands to launch costumes earlier so that decisions can be made and payment plans sorted out. Nonetheless, you should consider putting Antigua’s Carnival on your 2024 or future travel list. If you’re wondering how to plan, check out my blog post or feel free to ask any questions in the comments and I’ll try my best to answer.

I apologize for my lack of the photos showing the vibes and other things mentioned but I was recording for TikTok, trying to vlog for YouTube and still trying to enjoy the moment. It didn’t exactly go as planned but thanks for reading, watching or subscribing!

*The times listed were the official parade times and not necessarily the band’s times

Until our next carnival,