Have you noticed that almost EVERY SINGLE Carnival fete on the calender for 2008 takes place in January? The early Carnival season is just insane, I mean for those of us who live in Trinidad the reality is that in order to enjoy a fete every weekend, your December paycheck has to support that venture if you did not budget ahead of time. For Carnival lovers Christmas is most likely going to take a back seat this year! I have made the decision that my list of people getting presents will be VERY short, and I have already done my Christmas shopping to be honest. Thankfully I do not go wild over Christmas having to redecorate the entire house, or stock the cupboards with enough food to last two months; for me Christmas is really a time to relax before the hectic pace of Carnival, and not an excuse for excess.
My goal is to pay off the balance of my costume at the end of November, I already have my footwear therefore my main expense after mas will be the fetes I choose to attend. The philosophy on paying for fetes still stands for 2008; I am not looking to break the bank on going to all the fetes. In my opinion once I am playing mas the list of fetes I actually go to is pretty short, complimentary tickets not withstanding. Who can afford the cost of a costume these days AND the prices of all those fetes? So I am looking at the list of allllll these fetes for 2008, plus a few new ones on the Calendar and I am overwhelmed with choices!
For those of you arriving in Trinidad solely for Carnival your decisions are fairly easy seeing that most people arrive a week before Carnival when the pick of fetes are at the prime. The staples for many at that time being Eyes Wide Shut, Bacchanal Wednesday, UWI Splash, Beach House, Salybia Fete, Girl Power, Insomnia, Breakfast Party and Lara Fete. On the other hand the feteing season for us locals starts on January 1st with Soca in Moka, followed rapidly by QRC’s Outta de Blue, UWI All-inclusive, Amnesia and Hilarian’s fete, all the big guns that attract hundreds of people.
At the moment the only fetes I know I will be going to for sure will be Salybia Fete and the Breakfast Party, in addition to Panorama which is a genre of feteing all in itself. I cannot confirm any of the others since there are way too many fetes in January and I am not going into debt in order to attend all of them as many are all-inclusive at an average of $350.00TT per person, and I have to multiply every fete ticket by two. With both costume and fete prices steadily rising something has got to give, and I wonder how persons who are working for minimum wage in Trinidad can afford all these fetes and still play mas with just two more paychecks before Carnival, not to mention CHRISTMAS!
So the question for both local and foreign based Carnival lovers are, how many fetes on average do you plan on attending for 2008? Which fetes are on your “must do” list? Will the price of costumes and fete tickets affect your feteing habits and have you made contingency plans for the very short fete season for Carnival 2008 in terms of affording all the fetes you hope to attend? I am very interested in others approach to the dilemma of all these choices of fetes in January so feel free to leave a comment!
My goal is to pay off the balance of my costume at the end of November, I already have my footwear therefore my main expense after mas will be the fetes I choose to attend. The philosophy on paying for fetes still stands for 2008; I am not looking to break the bank on going to all the fetes. In my opinion once I am playing mas the list of fetes I actually go to is pretty short, complimentary tickets not withstanding. Who can afford the cost of a costume these days AND the prices of all those fetes? So I am looking at the list of allllll these fetes for 2008, plus a few new ones on the Calendar and I am overwhelmed with choices!
For those of you arriving in Trinidad solely for Carnival your decisions are fairly easy seeing that most people arrive a week before Carnival when the pick of fetes are at the prime. The staples for many at that time being Eyes Wide Shut, Bacchanal Wednesday, UWI Splash, Beach House, Salybia Fete, Girl Power, Insomnia, Breakfast Party and Lara Fete. On the other hand the feteing season for us locals starts on January 1st with Soca in Moka, followed rapidly by QRC’s Outta de Blue, UWI All-inclusive, Amnesia and Hilarian’s fete, all the big guns that attract hundreds of people.
At the moment the only fetes I know I will be going to for sure will be Salybia Fete and the Breakfast Party, in addition to Panorama which is a genre of feteing all in itself. I cannot confirm any of the others since there are way too many fetes in January and I am not going into debt in order to attend all of them as many are all-inclusive at an average of $350.00TT per person, and I have to multiply every fete ticket by two. With both costume and fete prices steadily rising something has got to give, and I wonder how persons who are working for minimum wage in Trinidad can afford all these fetes and still play mas with just two more paychecks before Carnival, not to mention CHRISTMAS!
So the question for both local and foreign based Carnival lovers are, how many fetes on average do you plan on attending for 2008? Which fetes are on your “must do” list? Will the price of costumes and fete tickets affect your feteing habits and have you made contingency plans for the very short fete season for Carnival 2008 in terms of affording all the fetes you hope to attend? I am very interested in others approach to the dilemma of all these choices of fetes in January so feel free to leave a comment!
9 comments:
sauce, I actually heard from my girlfriend who went Salybia last year, that it was really a much older crowd, the music wasn't great, the food finished, and it was crowded (more so than normal)
Ideally, I would "like" to go to bliss, one fete & alternative concept. But in reality, I really don't know. For me, sometimes the concept of the fete is the 'gearing up' for carnival, as in the actual 2 days. I'm not going to hyperventilate if I don't get into a "mustbethere" fete, cause I'm getting to play mas. What better than THAT!? I refuse to go, if I cannot find the right accessories, clothing, etc in time for a fete. Not to mention, I am not gonna go buss my pocket for a fete, and ketch ass for the next 2 months after. But this is just -my- view.
Tiff my girlfriend who went Salybia this year said it was the BEST.. hmm, comflicting reports!
I heard there will be no Bliss of ONE Fete!! So there goes two of your options.
I too think once I am playing mas I am good for fetes, don't need to kill out myself trying to go to too many. I just like to hit the fetes to see the bands perform and hear the new music, but you know when you see the bands perform once for the season you good.. because it is the same routine at every fete!!!
Bishop Anstey All-Inclusive
O' Farrell's All-Inclusive
Machel - Alternative Concept
Tribe Thursday
Island Style Insomnia Fete
These are all the fetes I’ll be going to!! Then I’ll take it to the streets with tribe. I will not be celebrating Christmas this year. All I have to buy are gifts for my son and daughter I don’t need any thing for my self and my wife well she done get her gift already that a costume in tribe so November month end I will pay off tribe then is fete
I usually go to Trinidad for 2 weeks every year and attend the same ones (I budget for the tickets AND my costume WAY in advance). I usually land on the day of army fete, then Alternative, PMN,eyes wide shut, must have my CUSTOMS, UWI splash, and Insomnia...I need to find a fete on the Friday before carnival..any suggestions?
I will arrive the Wednesday before carnival and I don't plan to sleep till Ash Wednes...every night is a fete...or 2! LOL. I can't wait!!!
I won't arrive until Carnival Friday. As a result, I have limited choices. Here are the fetes that I wish to attend:
- Island People's Girl Power
- Island Style's Insomnia
- Lara Fete
There is a new fete on Carnival Friday that I got a flyer for.. it's called Break Biche.
jt I find you still going plenty fetes! :P Good lineup, though I overs Insomnia.
Eyes Wide Shut
Bachannal Wednesday
Salybia
Cooler Fete or Girl Power
Insomnia or Dawn and one of the Breakfast Fetes?
Lara on Sunday?
Maybe this is ambitious, but this is what looks good to me. I need to increase my stamina, first, though.
I making sure to leave tobago intime so I could hit my bacc Wed, Tribe thurs and girl power fri. Would love to go to a breakfast party, but undecided cause that would be 4 days fete-ing straight and I coming with a first timer soo... I trying to break her in and take it easy
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