Why Trinis Should Do Jamaica Carnival

Now that Trinidad Carnival is over and the tabanca has fully set in, don't fear my Trini friends, you can always do Jamaica Carnival.

The Jamaica Carnival season is in it's early stages now, but things really pick up around Easter weekend with the Road March being held on April 12.

BUT... I am warning you to not compare Jamaica Carnival to Trinidad's because it's no where on the same scale.  Jamaica Carnival is a very small event (that is growing) and not a national festival.  The road march and costumes are managed by Bacchanal Jamaica, a private entity, and the fetes and J'ouvert are put on by Bacchanal and other promoters.  Even so, it is worth the experience.

Photo credit: Eloquence.com

 

1.  It is cheap(er).
Because of the exchange rate (about J$116 to US$1), Trinis can get more for their money in Jamaica  as it relates to fetes and costumes.  And since Trinis are feteing like oil is US$200 a barrel, then why not?  For instance, a cooler fete can range from US$20-25 and an all inclusive can start from US$70. In addition, you can get a BL costume from US$300 and a FL from US$400. However, keep in mind that the airfare from Trinidad on CAL is pricey with a cost of about US$500-600. If you don't mind a longer route, Copa airlines are sometimes cheaper than CAL (but through Panama).

2. You may not have to pay for accommodation.
Everyone knows a Trini in Jamaica.  I mean there are literally hundreds of Trinis living here.  You must know one who would be willing to put you up for at least a week (not me of course). But please, if you do go this route, offer to pay for groceries or contribute to the light bill because those aren't cheap. If you can't find someone to put you up (Jamaican or Trini), hotel rooms in Kingston can range from US$140-250 per night. You can check out Knutsford Court Hotel, Jamaica Pegasus, Courtleigh Hotel and Suites, and Spanish Court Hotel in Kingston.

If you plan to get here for the Easter weekend fetes, keep in mind that these do not take place in Kingston and you may have to get accommodation in either Ocho Rios or Portland where basic rooms can cost about US$60-100.

3. You can recycle your costume from Trinidad Carnival.
There is one band for Jamaica Carnival (yes, it's that small) and the costumes are okay and reasonably priced.  But if you want more, you can wear your own costume and simply pay for the t-shirt option (US$240) to get the armband. The prices are all-inclusive and come with drinks, meals, and snacks.  There is also a cool down area and restroom facilities.

Photo credit: Dwayne Watkins

4. The J'ouvert is awesome.
During the season there is Cocoa J'ouvert (March 7) and Beach J'ouvert (on Easter weekend), but on the Friday before the Road March, there are about 3 major J'ouvert events.  The 2 major events are Caesar's Army AM Bush and Bacchanal Jamaica's J'ouvert with my pick being Caesar's Army. Last year, AM Bush only catered to 300 patrons, but I'm sure it will be bigger this year.



Caesar's Army Ambush 2014 Photo Credit: Jamaica Gleaner

5. Machel will be here.
I'm not sure when and where, but Machel will be here; he's always here.  He usually does the Pandemonium fete on the Thursday before Carnival, so he might be here for that. And it's not just Machel, but a lot of local soca artistes and DJs are booked for the season.

Photo credit: Skkan

But even more importantly, Trinis should do Jamaica Carnival simply because nobody loves a Carnival more than a Trini.  Trinis be like: "aye, I hear it have ah Carnival in Space"..."Eh heh? When is dat?"

Soca vs Dancehall- Review

July 12, 2014
Hope Gardens
JMD$3000 (presold)

Out of all the soca sessions for summer in Kingston, I opted for Soca vs Dancehall.  I attended SVD last year and wasn't blown away so I wanted to give it another chance. Even though it's not a true soca fete, I had a good time, not the best, but good enough.

Throughout the night I kept getting mixed responses from people I knew.  Some were having a blast, while others felt it was boring.  I am going to go out on a limb and say they were all correct.  You see SVD is not for the die-hard soca lovers in Jamaica, but it works well to attract the non-soca crowd, especially those who are familiar with the standard 10 soca songs.  For those who didn't know, the theme is soca AND dancehall, so you should be prepared for the genre mix.  I admit that I was one of those who tuned out during the dancehall set, but I didn't mind it too much because it was not the real hardcore dancehall you would hear at a passa passa or container satdaze. 

Yes I know..I need to work on my pics

I am not an expert, but I do know that not every deejay can mix dancehall and soca well, which was the real problem at the party.  The deejays were either really good at mixing soca or really good at mixing dancehall, but not both.  For instance, Coppershot failed at soca ...miserably..and Dei Musicale fell flat with their dancehall set.  My suggestion is to leave the genre to its expert deejays.

I had no complaints about the bar.  I obtained my usual Johnnie and coconut water mixes without problem during the night.  I also liked that Haagen Dazs ice-cream was included.

Don't worry, I had my lactaid

As much as Hope Gardens is accessible and I suspect that it's a cheaper venue, it has become soca central.  I've been to so many parties at Hope Gardens that they've all merged into one memory.  For those who found SVD boring, could it be that they are tired of the same venue, the same themes, the same patrons, the same deejays? Again, it depends on who you talk to.  Although the soca crowd in Kingston is small, probably it's time to change it up.  What about an out of season Jouvert or breakfast party or even a cruise? (Thank me later promoters)....

Yet, there were many, I believe the majority, who had a blast at SVD and were just grateful for the little soca in July.  The SVD crew did well but with a party that's held so often, they need to think about the future of the concept...

Picks for Jamaica's Ministry of Fete

The Jamaica Carnival Schedule shows that there are way too many events and it is impossible to attend all especially if you are living paycheck to paycheck.  And if you haven't been saving, unfortunately, there is only one paycheck to carry you through the majority of the carnival season.  So if you don't get comps or an alternative source of income, you may find this post useful when making your fete decisions...

These are my picks for the next couple weeks:
Red
April 4, 2014
$1500 (general) $3000 (vip)*
I'm so over Mas Camp, but if I had to chose one night, it would be Red, which will feature Skinny Fabulous and music by DJ Richie R.A.S. and Nuphoric from Trinidad.  This night will be organized by Island Vibes, the lastest group of Carnival promoters and I have no doubt that they will do an awesome job that night.

Soca vs Dancehall
April 6, 2014
$2500 (early bird) $3000 (presold)
If you were lucky to get the early bird tics for $2500, this is a good deal for a drinks inclusive event.  The selling point for this fete is DJ Private Ryan from Trinidad (yay!).  The theme is Carnival at Night so I am curious if patrons would actually wear costumes.  But the one thing I've learnt is that Jamaican party-goers will stick to a theme.

Beach Jouvert
April 19, 2014
James Bond Beach
$5500

OR

Canboulay Breakfast Party
April 21
Rodney Hall Estate, Portland
$4000
I predict that these will be the top two events on the Easter weekend, but the choice will depend on what you are looking for in a fete.  Beach Jouvert has its loyal followers, especially those who love the paint experience.  You may have noticed that there are very few live performances this season, so the addition of Bunji and Fay Ann is a big selling point here...

On the other hand, Canboulay is for the pretty people in pretty outfits.  Portland will be a nice venue for a breakfast fete but only if you will be staying there for the entire weekend because going to Portland from Kingston in wee hours of the morning is no easy task. I do feel, however, that the Portland weekend of events will also attract those in the over 30 age group who are finished with the Ochi Weekend and Beach Jouvert.

Dusk
April 21, 2014
Beverly Hills
$2500
I enjoyed this fete a lot in 2013, so hopefully I can attend again this year.  The poolside venue is a nice touch and the music will be provided by Dei Musicale from Trinidad and Richie R.A.S (yay! x 2).  The $2500 drinks inclusive cost is also a plus.  This fete is a good choice for those who will be in Kingston for the holiday weekend and looking for a no-fuss event....

I Love Soca
April 23, 2014
Cost: $2000
Venue: TBA
Kudos to Andrew, Ian, and company for owning the Wednesday before Carnival. I Love Soca has become a staple in the last week of Carnival events.  By this time, everyone is pumped and ready for the weekend. This year it will be more than just a cooler fete with performances by Farmer Nappy and Lil Rick...

Pandemonium
April 26, 2014
Cost and Venue: TBA
All I'm going to say here is WE WANT M.O.R.!

Now..it gets sticky on Saturday April 26...A.M.Bush Jouvert ($4500)? or Sunrise Breakfast Party ($6000)? or both? From my biased position as a Trini, I would opt for A.M.Bush because it has a record for being one of the best jouvert fetes in Trinidad (even Jamaicans would admit to this). But then...Sunrise Breakfast was BESS last year, hands down one of the best fetes I've been to in Jamaica. If you have the money then go hard and do both...


*For now, we could work with US$1=JMD$110

Emancipation and Indulge

In the Anglo Caribbean, Emancipation from slavery is commemorated on August 1 which marked the full abolition of slavery in 1838.  Today the celebration embraces our African heritage paying homage to cultural retentions.  For most, it's just a public holiday or a day of rest.  This year, the holiday fell on a Thursday which was confusing.  Wednesday felt like a Friday and Friday felt like a lazy Monday, but like a true Trinbagonian, that meant nothing to me; a holiday is a holiday.

I opted to attend the Indulge party on Thursday at the Mona Hockey Field.  Indulge was put on by the I Love Soca and Wata Party team, Andrew Bellamy and Ian Bourne, along with Staci Smith.  It was advertised as inclusive of food and drink and would run from 4:00-10:00pm.  For JA$2000, it seemed like a steal.  Luckily, I was able to purchase a JA$1500 ticket which was an even bigger steal.

After my experience at the Tailwind fete, I made sure that I got there early enough because if a party was advertised as ending at 10pm, most likely, it will end at that time.  There was sufficient and accessible parking at a nearby field.  Upon entry, I immediately headed for the food because I didn't think it would last considering the cost of the party.  I enjoyed the barbecue pigtail, chicken pasta, and the roast pork and beef.  To my surprise, there was food left at the end and I then had the soup which was sobering, but the shrimp was awful.

Johnnie Walker was one of the main sponsors so the drinks were flowing (probably too much in my case).  My only complaint was about the bartender who insisted that I could not get a cup of straight coconut water which was only being served as a chaser.  The problem was solved easily by going to another bartender.

Just me and my Johnnie

The music was provided by DJs Richie Ras, Cruise, and Selecta Renegade.  The music was a good mix of different genres and the patrons seemed to enjoy it.  At one point a friend commented that he was appalled that uptown people didn't dance.  I mean this was no passa passa session but there were vibes.  I really didn't see this as a pose only party; it was just a different party scene.

Crowd shot

For JA$1500 or JA$2000, Indulge was well worth it. I can't remember when last I got so much value for money.  I am now left to wonder why the hell I've been paying JA$5000 and JA$6000 for other parties??? So I really can't see how some people are easily handing over up to JA$7500 for one party this weekend, but fear not, I heard that there are loans...

Kingston's Summer Soca Scene

A couple years ago, I never would have thought that there would be so many soca parties in Jamaica outside of its carnival season. With the many summer parties, I assumed that it would be hard to get enough patrons for a successful fete.  The truth is that there is a die-hard soca group who don't mind partying to soca all year which ensures a successful soca event.

I missed Carnival Rewine and the SOS cooler fete last month, but was able to attend Soca vs Dancehall and the Tailwind Blocko Cooler fete.

Soca vs Dancehall
July 13, 2013
Hope Gardens
JA$2500

This was my second time at a Soca vs Dancehall event.  It could just be my bias, but for me, it was just okay. I kept reminding myself that it was not an exclusive soca event so I shouldn't expect too much.  One of the shortcomings of being a Trini in Jamaica is that we tend to expect soca themed events to be similar those in T&T which is probably why I didn't love this party. I was also told that I got to the event too late (which I did), so I didn't get to appreciate the earlier soca sets.  I really didn't mind the dancehall; it's just that the mix of the dancehall and the soca wasn't my thing...

the best crowd shot I got (still can't master my camera)

But all was not bad.  Hope Gardens was an appropriate venue for these fetes- it's not too big and not too small.  In addition, there was easy access to the drinks at the bar and the Johnnie was flowing. More importantly, patrons didn't have to settle for cheap liquor.  Also, the restrooms were clean which is always important when chasing alcohol with coconut water...

The organizers of Soca vs Dancehall have established loyal followers which include those Jamaicans who are not 100% into soca.  Ultimately, I do see it as a staple even for the summer soca scene...

Tailwind Blocko Cooler Fete
July 20th, 2013
Norbrook Acres Rd and XS club
JA$1500

Now this was a strange event and I'm not sure what happened.  Much of it can be attributed to the current noise abatement laws and its effects on parties held in residential areas in Kingston. 

The cooler fete was advertised as a blocko on Norbrook Acres Rd which looked like a very posh area to me. Not to upset the residents, parking was accommodated at a nearby school and we were shuttled to the venue.  Although I was grateful for the shuttle, it was inconvenient to carry the cooler in the bus...

Once in the venue, it was clear that DJ Richie Ras had set the tone and the soca was pumping.  For about an hour, I was enjoying my drinks and the music until a little after 10pm when it was announced that the police had instructed the organizers to end the fete.  They also said that the fete would continue at XS club in Liguanea Post Mall.  What???? This announcement was confusing because my ticket indicated that the fete time was 4pm-12am....

I really didn't want to go to this new venue because I had lost all interest and vibes, but I left for XS anyway.  Honestly, the hour I spent there wasn't bad, but this event wasn't an indoor one and I felt like I was in a club and not at a fete, and I don't like clubs. Thank goodness the music was still great and people were enjoying themselves...

The lesson here was clear- end your fete at 10:00pm...