Carnival 2015

CARNIVAL 2015!!!!! “THE STREETS OF PORT OF SPAIN” WHAT AN EPIC EXPERIENCE! LIKE NO OTHER CARNIVAL ON THE GLOBE. IT’S CERTAINLY A ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE FOR VISITORS ALL OVER THE WORLD AND FOR CITIZENS OF SWEET TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO! 

Carnival among many other festivities and celebration are one of the top mind-blowing electrical entertainments of the Caribbean life in the West Indies. Trinidad's Carnival has spawned similar celebrations around the world, but nothing on earth can rival the abandon, euphoria and stunning spectacle of our festival. Carnival one of the most important and anticipated events on the Trinidad and Tobago cultural calendar results in the culmination of activity within the city boundaries such as street parades, open air parties, steel pan and calypso finals. The city is used as a canvas for the population to portray the culmination of this unique cultural festival.   Carnival activities take place throughout the country however it is the events that occur in Port of Spain the city that is used to truly manifest this spectacle of human energy and entertainment. In our globalized world many of the images of carnival that is broadcast worldwide emanate from the streets of Port of Spain.

          In Trinidad and Tobago there are no limits to this party and charade of rainbow coloured costumes adorn on the bodies of its owners. It’s not for a particular age group, it is for everyone! Young, old, middle aged, children (kiddies Carnival usually held on the Sunday before carnival Monday).  Prior to these two days “carnival Monday and Tuesday” there are many parties and competitions that are held in Honor of these two spectacular days. The launching of the bands Tribe, Island people, Legacy, Dream team TNT just to name a few, Panorama (Ultimate Steel band Competition), Chutney Brass, Soca Brass, Chutney Soca Monarch, Machel Monday concert, Kes in Concert “Tuesday on the Rocks”, Beach house Carnival All inclusive and the list goes on and on, most of which are held within close proximity to Port of Spain. To really enjoy the real vibes and the real essence of Carnival, tourist needs to embark on the island at least one month in advance as for citizens are blessed with the opportunity to experience every ounce of what carnival have to offer. For most of the population it’s a “Brain cooler” away from the hassle and bustle of everyday common life, from home to work to home again, or school.

Carnival  only took place in the Central business Districts (Port Of Spain) due to its accessibility  for all citizens and tourists, as the years passed by the crowds grew immensely thus making it a task for some to get to the venue without the additional traffic congestion and controversy. Thus the festivities have dispersed to several smaller towns making it convenient for all to participate. The bands are much smaller than the bands that are hosted in the city of Port of Spain and San-Fernando but it is just as much fun. Within the Port of Spain area itself the parade of the bands are very extravagant and are now launched from the National Stadium or the Soca Drone for the safety of members and in fear of the rise in crime levels in the eastern hemisphere of the city.

2015 carnival in the city of Port of Spain and the streets  were illuminated with festivities and endless partying all of which have economic benefits to the clubs owners, band leaders, designers and mainly the to the country’s revenue. Port of Spain is the economic focal point, festivities major source of income generation for city stakeholders. Carnival has now become a commercialized industry with many aspects apart from primarily providing entertainment is a major income generator for all those within its sphere of influence. This has resulted in it becoming bigger more streamlined and regulated by government agencies. To maintain control and to seek efficiency in terms confining events to specific geographical areas, when events are to start and end etc all in an effort to maintain some order while carnival takes place in the city. 

In preparation for the parade of the bands on the “BIG DAYS’’ a lot of manufacturing, planning and coordinating are embellished into every aspect to achieve perfection. Thus with the holistic aspect of globalization, costume designers are now faced with a changes that can either have a positive or negative impact. Costume production which is an integral element of carnival has become a global industry, this as many in the industry has said will reduce the creativity and credibility of this art form. Band leaders can now import costumes form China and India at competitive prices. This some say will compromise the creativity and traditional aspects of mask production. The local mask industry is now faced with a dilemma of maintain the heritage of the mass culture while navigating the economic viability of the industry. This is compounded by the fact that carnival is now a global event, the new wave of masqueraders and culture is being influenced by festival in Brazil and other parts of the world this has changed the image of local carnival to be more in tune to the global standards. This has both negative and positive implications, as it may result in the decline and eventual extinction of traditional characters like the Pierrot Grenade, Tan Tan and Saga Boy to name a few. However a compromise may to be made as indicated by Kenwyn Critchlow, a visual arts lecturer at the University of the West Indies the demographics of the masquerader has evolved over the years from initially being predominately male to female performers this sexualization of carnival has caused the change in the composition and design of the masquerade element of carnival.    Globalization has also impacted on the music of carnival to merge it with other global music genres.  (http://www.gotrinidadandtobago.com/trinidad/carnival/)

On Carnival Monday masqueraders venture out into the streets as early as 2 am gathering at their J’ouvert band gathering point. In Port of Spain there are many gathering sites, from the Hasely Crawford Stadium, the Queens Park oval, Ariapita Avenue, Woodford Square, St. James. I played with the Band Insomniac and the gathering point was opposite the Hasely Crawford stadium. Before journeying onto the road ways members of the band partake in a before party. The air is filled with the vibration of pumping music, soca with a combination of chutney, most of which were created and launched for the 2015 carnival celebrations. This party last for about an hour and is followed by the march out into the road that is led by a couple of music trucks. On the road masqueraders dance, whine, jump up you name it, to the beats and the rhythms of the very upbeat music and participates in dozing their friends in paint, chocolate or whatever mixture the band provides, this just takes the experience to another level and added to the enjoyment and fun. J’ouvert goes on until about 7-8am and the band of people are greeted by an after party at the gathering venue. Some stays out on the road until the party is done. Others venture back home to prepare for the Gala day of Carnival Tuesday. Carnival Tuesday is all about the costumes and the variety of colours, crossing the big stage and surreal climax of great merriment and gratification. Taking the pictures for this blog allowed for the experience of being among the masqueraders. Here you see the harmonising of different races and people locally and from across the border. There are Indians, Africans, Chinese, Americans, Syrians, Islanders from the surrounding islands relishing every aspects and experience they can grasp from that instant time and moment.

Instantly anyone can say it brings together people! This experience is an experience that no one can get elsewhere, with such diverse culture and dissipation. The bands are led by a mascot that represents the title of it. As shown in the picture we can see the mascot leading the masqueraders along the streets where people are anxiously waiting to reveal the variety of costumes to the onlookers, with alleviated excitement and delight chipping down the road until dawn.