It all started when I collected my Supernova costume on the Thursday before Carnival. I got to mas camp one hour ahead of the scheduled time for collection, which was a really good idea since I was fifth in the line. However, it did not turn out to be such an advantage since it took me over 45 minutes to collect. It was not even noon yet and the service was at snail's pace. This probably would not have been a problem if Bacchanal had abandoned the "family and friends" first policy. As I stood there waiting, numerous persons bypassed the line with several receipts in hand and were given costumes before me. After finally getting my costume, I noted that the bra was bigger than I had ordered and did not even match any of the stated equivalent sizes. But I had already made up my mind to take whatever was in the box and make it work...
On the road, the costumes looked almost like the prototypes. It was clear that several ladies were having bra problems, which were either too big or too small, with mine fitting too big. I really hope that next year Bacchanal can provide sample sizes during registration, which would help us to choose the right one. The waistbands were also a problem with them shredding many tights to bits...
It was a relief to see more people opting for Frontline upgrades by Lehwego or Darrel Bulze. I even had my own customized corset and collar (from Carnival Divaz) which looked Fab btw...I also observed an increase in the number of persons wearing their own costumes- some from Trinidad Carnival and some designed by Explosion mas band. I heard that some people had their own designed by Solange Shaw-Gopaul from Tribe, which looked okay, not great. But the bigger point here is that people want more than Bacchanal's recycled offerings...
As usual, I joined the band late, and people were having a blast. Even when the rains came, it didn't kill the vibes. I was happy that I opted for airbrush makeup from Paul March; ultimately, it was worth the long wait that morning because it held up fine...I stayed with the Pure Country truck with Private Ryan and Alicia the Duchess, which played the best tunes and it got even better as we approached Waterloo Rd and went down West Kings House rd. I have to mention that we had to literally run after the trucks as they apparently forgot that there were masqueraders who came to dance and enjoy themselves and not take part in a sprint...
The food can best be described as the same as every year, but I was happy for the jerk chicken and pasta option since the chinese was very bland. The drinks on the other hand, were flowing and easy to access. I will stress here the importance of walking with your own cup especially when the sponsor of your section did not provide any...
In addition to the poor security and a looonngggg route, the biggest fail for Bacchanal had to be that mess to get back into the stadium at the end of the day. As I stood in the thick crown waiting to get in, two men tried to pick the pockets of a masquerader that stood in front of me. At this point there was little or no security and order to help us get safely into the venue; it was all push and shove. Once I was in the clear, I was on my way home so I'm not sure what the after party was like...
Overall, this was a fun year. Like every year, there's bitching and moaning about the costumes and their prices, but everyone ends up putting these complaints away and enjoying themselves, which is really what carnival is about. But as I will say every year, Bacchanal needs to step up. They have been in this business too long to not get it right. More and more people are taking part in this carnival and I was even more surprised to hear that so many people flew in to take part so there's even more reason to make the event more contemporary...
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